DeForest Students Scatter Because Of Mold

[Guest guest]

WISC Channel3000.com

Wednesday April 03 12:56 AM EST

DeForest Students Scatter Because Of Mold

Another 300 students and their belongings have been sent packing as another

school district adjusts to handle a moldy school.

A pending report on mold in a DeForest school may identify the source and

any design or other problems that may have played a role, News 3 reported.

School officials said their lawyers will be reviewing the air quality report

at Yahara School

The $40,000 report expected later this month should settle key issues, up in

the air right now. Meantime, the DeForest Middle School and two other

elementary schools, are opening their doors to hundreds of Yahara students.

" We just had to put blue tape on things that we wanted moved, and they did

the rest for us, " said third-grade teacher Kaye Stickney, who is moving from

Yahara to Eagle Point School.

They will have their own mold-free belongings and their own desks, but 340

DeForest students will be in a different school starting Wednesday.

" I think the kids will look on it as an adventure, and I think it'll be

fun, " said Stickney, who taught in the same room a decade ago when Eagle was

overcrowded. Now she's back because of the mold that has been confirmed in

the air-handling units at Yahara.

District officials said early results show 90 percent of the samples came

back positive. The air quality report will state the cause and type of mold.

If the problem is minor, the superintendent said it is still possible that

Yahara could re-open this year.

" It's more likely, however, that we're going to find that there are some

things we want to remediate, " said superintendent Jon Bales. " We've had air

quality questions before, and we have had visible mold, so we'd rather have

the time available to fix that once and for all. "

With major remediation, officials said students would stay in their host

schools until next fall.

Tami Salzman's first- and fourth-graders are headed to two different

schools. She reluctantly agrees that not bringing them back to Yahara this

year, may be best.

" Whatever is going on, I'd like to see it taken care of, and if that means

leaving the kids where they are, so be it, " she said.

School officials said there have been sporadic reports of mold in the past,

but mold in the air-handling units may indicate a more serious problem.

Grades one and two at Yahara will go to Windsor elementary. Fourth graders

go to the middle school. Students ride the same buses, but pick up time will

be 10 minutes earlier.