Artondale could open on time, officials say

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Artondale could open on time, officials say

Kris Sherman; The News Tribune

Peninsula Schools officials are confident they'll be able to reopen the

environmentally troubled Artondale Elementary when school resumes next

month.

" The indications are positive. It appears that it will be possible to open

the school in September, " said Mansour Samadpour, an assistant professor of

environmental health at the University of Washington's School of Public

Health and Community Medicine.

Samadpour and his team from the Seattle-based Institute for Environmental

Health is trying to solve the Artondale problem under contract with the

school district.

Getting this far hasn't been cheap. The cost to fix air-quality problems at

the 470-student campus, twice closed after students and staff members

reported a myriad of illnesses during the last academic year, is around

$750,000, Superintendent Jim Coolican said.

Only one major hurdle - a weeklong check of the school's air-quality and

air-handling systems - remains before the Gig Harbor-area school is deemed

safe for reoccupation, Samadpour told a group of about 50 parents and

faculty members during a meeting Wednesday night.

Those tests are scheduled between Aug. 12 and 18. If more air quality

problems crop up, there's still another week to troubleshoot and re-run the

tests before making a final decision on whether to open the building in time

for the first bell of the new academic year on Sept. 4, Samadpour and

Coolican said.

If the school is not ready, classes at Artondale could be delayed by a week

or so until it's given a clean bill of health, Coolican said. If the

building can't pass the test at all, Artondale would be dissolved as a

school and its students folded into four other elementaries on the Gig

Harbor Peninsula, the superintendent added.

" We couldn't open school if we found a big problem, " Samadpour said. " But we

probably could if we found a series of small problems. "

When classes do resume, there will be some low-tech solutions to mysterious

symptoms such as itchy eyes, dry skin, sinus troubles and headaches that

have long perplexed school officials and scientists:

.. Plants. Each classroom will have a budget for plants to increase the

humidity and levels of oxygen in the room.

.. Science kits. Each classroom will have a science kit so teachers can take

periodic air samples of the places where children work and learn.

.. Splashdown. Students and teachers will be advised to drink lots of water

and splash their faces and necks with water periodically to keep from

getting dehydrated.

.. Lunch break. Students will eat lunch in the gym instead of their

classrooms to keep learning areas cleaner and reduce the risk of grinding

food into carpets.

Samadpour believes many of the symptoms could be attributed to low humidity

and a build-up of carbon dioxide in classrooms brought on by poorly

circulated air and rising temperatures, especially in winter.

" We really have not seen any major defects in the school, anything that

cannot be fixed, " he said.

While mold was found in some areas of the school, it was discovered in

unremarkable amounts, he said, pointing out there was more mold outside the

school than inside.

During an eight-week closure of the school in February, environmental

sleuths combed Artondale's nooks and crannies, as if they were Sherlock

Holmes trainees, magnifying glasses in hand, searching for culprits that

might cause itchy eyes, dry skin, sinus problems, breathing troubles,

headaches and rashes.

They found layer after layer of dust, which they vacuumed away on the advice

of state health official Tim Hardin; a balky heating, air conditioning and

ventilation system, which they tried to wrestle into balance; and patches of

mold around the school, which were eradicated.

" This building has been looked at from one end to another, and there really

isn't anything wrong with this building, " Samadpour said.

That bothers parent Tom East, who like many in the community was hoping

investigators would find an environmental " smoking gun, " something they

could point to and say, " We fixed it. "

" A lot of parents have already taken their children to other schools, " he

said.

Artondale Principal Kathy Weymiller verified that.

At least 45 students - nearly 10 percent of the Artondale population - have

transferred to other Peninsula schools for the 2002-2003 school year, she

said.

In addition, Artondale is losing nine staff members because of

building-related health problems. They'll be replaced, but their loss breaks

up the close-knit Artondale family, several staff members said.

When Artondale opens, Iverson will walk through its doors as a

first-grader. A few months ago, her mom, Joanne, a registered nurse,

wouldn't have thought that possible.

Joanne Iverson tearfully told the school board earlier this year that her

daughter suffered from a five-month-long sore throat. told her mom

following one doctor's visit that her throat was so bad she wanted to die.

But the little girl is better now, and her doctors are looking for other

causes for her problems.

" I feel confident the building can be ruled out as a total cause " for

's problems, Joanne Iverson said, " though it might be contributory. "

" I trust these guys, " she said of Samadpour and the district's consultants.

" I've made a total turnaround. I think the district has gone totally beyond

what it's had to do, and I want to get the word out to other parents. "

Parent Ron , however, seemed troubled by Samadpour's comment that once

Artondale is reopened " we are going to stay in the building and follow the

situation throughout the year. "

" How long are they going to study kids and staff and collect the data ...

before they decide, 'Here's a problem with the building, and it's time to

say goodbye.' " said.

Still, said he'll send his kids back to Artondale if the consultant

recommends it reopen. " They've been very open, very up front, and they

haven't closed their mind or their head to any option, " he said.

Kris Sherman: 253-597-8659

kris.sherman@...

.. The Peninsula School Board will discuss Artondale during its next meeting,

set for 5:30 p.m. Thursday at district offices, 14015 62nd Ave. N.W.

More answers

.. For more information on Artondale Elementary School, including answers to

frequently asked questions about the environmental cleanup and copies of

consultants' reports, go to www.peninsula. wednet.edu and click on the

Artondale Air Quality link, then the IEH Web site.