Citrus County Mom urges mold-free classrooms

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http://www.sptimes.com/2002/07/12/Citrus/Mom_urges_mold_free_c.shtml

Mom urges mold-free classrooms

The Morelli family was stricken by toxic mold at home. Now the mother asks

the Citrus County School Board to ensure schools are safe.

By BARBARA BEHRENDT, Times Staff Writer

© St. sburg Times

published July 12, 2002

INVERNESS -- Morelli said her daughters have already had to endure

enough and keeping them away from their classmates at Inverness Middle

School was too much to ask.

Morelli pulled her daughters and out of the school several

weeks before classes dismissed in May when they grew ill. She blames mold in

classrooms at the school for the illnesses.

She told the School Board this week that she intended to re-enroll the girls

and she sought assurance from school officials that they would be returning

to a safe environment. will be entering seventh grade and will

move to ninth grade at Citrus High School.

While mold is an issue for anyone exposed to too much, it is especially an

issue for Morelli's family. They were driven from their home last fall by

toxic mold that had sickened all of them, sending them into extensive

medical treatment. While the detailed diet and detoxification process needed

to treat their illnesses continues, all need to stay in places free of mold.

The family now stays with Morelli's mother.

When she suspected that the girls were exposed to mold at school, she asked

for the school to be tested. The first test by the firm the district had

hired for environmental testing showed molds 50 times the recommended level.

When a second test was done, the results were far different, showing the

level in the expected range.

" To me the results are very misleading because they said it was safe, "

Morelli told the board.

When she consulted outside experts, they agreed that the tests were

confusing. She sought another test and on Tuesday superintendent

Hickey said he believed that test also showed that there were no problems

with the classrooms.

Morelli, who works in real estate and has gotten involved in several groups

trying to establish uniform rules about toxic mold levels, urged the board

to take an interest in the topic because they would be dealing with it in

the future.

" The mold issue is here and it's bad, " she said, noting that the substance

is now being linked to such health issues as breast cancer, asthma and

fibromyalgia.

" I would like to see a more proactive participation in terms of testing in

the schools . . . because soon that will be mandated, " Morelli said. " I want

my kids to go back to the schools. . . . I think putting them into an

environment that is not safe is not fair. "

" We take this seriously, " Hickey assured Morelli and the board. " We are

doing what we think is proactive. "

He told the board that he could arrange to have the district's health and

safety specialist Colasanti come to a future School Board meeting to

tell them more about the mold issue and what the district is doing about it.

Board members said they wanted that information and complete information

about the district's testing program.

The mold issue has also been raised elsewhere in the district. Parents and

staff at the Lecanto Middle School have also requested testing of some

classrooms there and at least one family had children transferred to another

school because of ongoing health problems at school.