Mother Sues Middle Township Elementary Schools; Claims Mold Harmed Sons

COURT HOUSE – A Middle Township family has placed the Middle Township School Board on notice of its intent to commence legal action due to mold exposure. Stacy Adelizzi alleges that her children, Michael and Maximus, have become very ill as a result of a reoccurring mold problem in the district’s elementary schools. She asserts that the district was aware of the problem and did very little about it, resulting in severe illness for her children.
Adelizzi has been trying to secure help from the school district for some time, but with little response. Her son Michael has been removed from the school for homeschooling and Adelizzi is in the process of removing Maximus as well. They have both been hospitalized for mold exposure.
Adelizzi’s lawyer, Stuart Lieberman, of Princeton’s Lieberman and Blecher, told the Herald that Adelizzi’s sons have been demonstrating signs of illness as early as 2011, when they first began attending Middle Township Elementary Schools.
“Mold was found and remediated in both buildings in 2012; however her sons continued to be sick,” Lieberman said. “Stacy has attempted to have the school assist in the matter but has been generally met with resistance and indifference by board officials. The last straw was when she had medical documentation in December 2013 proving her older son was sick due to mold exposure, and that since he only had such reactions when in the school buildings the mold must be present there. She presented this information to the district, and while they allowed her son to be removed from the school after much difficulty, they did nothing to address the presence of mold demonstrably still in the schools. She is concerned for the health and safety of her children, as well as their peers and the staff and faculty of the schools. Mold is a known health hazard and the blasé attitude the district appears to have is very concerning.”
A lawsuit will not be filed for six months, according to the law. At that time it will be filed in state court. Adelizzi is seeking damages for pain and suffering, and loss of quality of life for her children.
Adelizzi says her sons have been suffering mold related illness while attending Middle Township Elementary No. 1 and 2 since spring 2012. She made complaints to the school in 2012 when Michael’s earliest symptoms began. Testing was done in both schools and mold was found in both buildings. The schools were purportedly remediated in 2012, but Michael continued to show symptoms.
Dr. Mahendra Dadhania of Allergy and Asthma Consultants sent a letter to the school Sept. 28, 2012 advising for both Michael and Maximus to be removed from the schools for a time for further testing. Adelizzi said the school ignored the letter.
In 2013, Michael’s symptoms worsened, with the worst episodes of illness present only when he was physically in the school building. In November 2013, Adelizzi received results of Michael’s urine test for Mycotoxins, which showed the presence of high levels of toxic mold in his urine. Dadhania recommended that Michael be removed from the school to prevent further illness in a letter dated Dec. 5, 2013. Earlier this year, the presence of mold in Elementary No. 2 was confirmed in a Jan. 3 Indoor Air Quality Report by Compliance Management International, CMI.
A letter dated Jan. 23 from Dr. George Boss at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia concurred with Dadhania’s diagnosis and recommendations.
Maximus has been exhibiting the same early symptoms of mold illness as Michael. Dadhania said Maximus suffers from the same mold related illness and should be removed from the school. The illnesses include episodic memory states such as confusion and memory loss, tunnel vision, loss of peripheral vision, headaches, coughing, asthma, rashes and sinusitis.
“In an article published Jan. 31 in the Herald, Superintendent Michael Kopakowski claimed there is no mold in the schools despite the Jan. 3 testing by CMI that is conclusive of mold in the schools,” Leiberman said. “The presence of toxic mold in a public building represents a public health hazard and its presence puts students, teachers and other staff at risk of illness.”
Adelizzi says her family has been devastated by what happened in the schools.
“We have required hospitalization and now homeschooling,” Adelizzi said. “Someone needs to protect our children. Who is making sure these buildings are mold free? If our lawsuit results in mold free schools and properly maintained buildings, our family will be truly gratified. The need to hire a lawyer and to file a lawsuit could have been completely avoided. Instead of pretending to solve these problems, the school board should have permanently fixed them for the good of the teachers, staff and students.”
Eight staff members of the Middle Township School Board have been named in the lawsuit including the entire school board, Kopakowski, Elementary No. 1 Principal Christian Paskalides, Principal of Elementary No. 2 Douglas Penkethman, Assistant Superintendent of Support Services Dr. David Salvo; Vice Principal Elementary No. 1 Nancy Lotech, Nurse in Elementary No. 1 Nancy Polt and Aide Mary Moratta.
Lieberman said Michael’s exposure to toxic mold has caused serious illness for a young child.
“While it is hopeful he can make a recovery, the nature of the prognosis for exposure is not fully known at this time,” Lieberman said. “There is a risk that the exposure to these harmful substances will cause permanent and traumatic illness. There is no telling what sort of physical, psychological or emotional impact the constant illness, medical testing and uncertainty this ordeal could have on such a young boy in these formative years of his life. And Maximus faces the same risks as Michael.”
Adelizzi believes that it is important for schools to provide a safe and healthy environment for children to learn and be nurtured.
“I believe that the way my family has been treated, necessitating that one child be removed for homeschooling already, is absolutely horrible,” Adelizzi said. “The people who made such bad decisions should make better decisions in the future for the sake of the local children. This mold is no secret. Everyone knows about it or knows someone who has been affected by it, either in the past or currently. All I know is I have two sick children and my job is to protect them. Our defenseless teachers, aides, custodians and anyone who spends a considerable amount of time are being exposed to the same thing. When all this started I was sad. Sad for my son, who was taken from everything he knows and loves, sad that they chose to ignore me rather than help. I am doing the right thing and sometimes doing the right thing isn’t easy.”
Superintendent Kopakowski could not be reached for comment.
To contact Debra Rech, email drech@cmcherald.com.
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