COURT HOUSE – With the current school year coming to a close, administrators in Middle Township schools may be breathing a sigh of relief, but for some parents the ongoing mold issue remains a serious concern. In two of the district’s schools, the 2011-2012 academic year brought readin’, ‘riting, ‘rithmetic and remediation. Mold remediation, that is.
While administrators have assured the public the mold is gone from Elementary No. 1 and No. 2, parents remain skeptical.
“It’s so bad that I withdrew my daughter from the pre-school program,” said a mother of a 5-year-old in a May 16 interview with the Herald. The woman asked that her name not be revealed, noting she feared retribution on her older children who still attend the district’s schools.
According to the mother, her daughter has been sick with upper respiratory issues throughout the school year, including two hospitalizations for pneumonia. Prior to attending pre-school her daughter had no history of lung problems. With only weeks left in the current semester, the mother said she agonized about removing her child from her school, her teacher and her friends.
“I don’t want her in there,” said the worried mother. “Her lungs are young and I’m afraid of the damage being done to them.”
This past December testing was performed in Elementary No. 1 after parents’ complaints of mold growing on toys, glue sticks, and the American flag. Initially school administrators said the mold issue was contained after the district’s custodial staff was brought in on Sat., Dec. 3 to address the infestation.
According to parents, their children seemed to be suffering an inordinate amount of asthma and allergic symptoms.
With the on-going mold issue in No. 1, an independent air quality testing company was brought in to test for the presence of mold. Testing revealed mold to be present throughout the building. Remediators were brought in during the winter break to clean the building of its infestation, with the building being retested and found to be safe for students’ occupancy.
“The entire building is now clean,” said Kopakowski at a Jan. 6 school board meeting. “The levels of the building are acceptable for occupancy. If any future issues do arise in any capacity, the board is prepared to address them immediately.”
While Elementary No. 1 was declared clean, the source of moisture that was causing the infestation was never found. “I can tell you we did not find the source of the mold,” said Kopakowski at Jan. 19 board meeting. “We are going to continue to monitor it.”
In May, parents contacted the Herald to again voice their concerns of mold in a building housing the district students.
Photographs of black stains seeping from colorfully painted ceilings in Elementary No. 2 were shared with this newspaper.
“There are kids in the school (No. 2) who are sick,” said a parent. “If you did a random poll of parents, at least 50 to 75 percent of them would tell you their children are on nebulizers and never had to use them before they came to school.”
For children who are allergic to mold, exposure to it can trigger asthma symptoms, said Dr. Anthony Rooklin, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. Rooklin also serves as Chairman, Department of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at Crozer-Chester Medical Center, Chester, Pa.
Rooklin said the incidence of mold allergies in children is probably higher than that of peanut allergies, which hovers at approximately 19 percent.
“The percentage of children allergic to mold is probably higher, but it’s hard to say how high,” said the doctor.
Air quality testing performed in Elementary No. 2 showed that not only was active mold found in the building, the types noted commonly cause asthma and hay fever.
On inspection, not only was active mold found in classrooms throughout the building, fungal growth was also found in the schools’ HVAC ducts and roof decking. An inspection of the school’s exterior noted “clogged rain gutters, blocked or disconnected downspouts, and bird nests in holes of exterior walls. Water stains on exterior wall surfaces near gutters indicates water overspill.”
Remediation was performed in Elementary No. 2 during spring break. Post-remediation inspection declared the rooms fit for occupancy.
While the two buildings may have been deemed fit for occupancy, several parents have stated there continues to be a mold problem in the buildings.
The parent of an Elementary No. 2 student told the Herald that a visit to the family’s local pediatrician on May 23 resulted in the diagnosis of a fungal infection in her child’s sinus cavity.
“Obviously if a child is allergic to mold, being exposed to an excessive amount can trigger symptoms – nasal, chest, eyes – depending on the child’s target organ. But mold is everywhere so there needs to be an excessive amount with a person who is sensitive to it.”
“How can they say they got rid of the mold when they didn’t take care of the water problem?” asked the parent. “There are birds nesting in the walls of the school.”
The parent contacted the Cape May County Board of Health as a precaution to the birds’ proximity to students.
According to County Board of Health Director Kevin Thomas, school district administrators stated they would be addressing the issues to the building’s physical plant.
While remediation has been done inside the two schools, ALS Environmental of Harrisburg, Pa, the company who conducted post-testing, informed the district that the cause of the mold needed to be addressed.
“Fungal contamination in the indoor environment is always the result of some source of uncontrolled water infiltration,” said the April 6 report to the Board of Education. “All sources of water infiltration must be identified and repaired or fungal contamination could continue to occur.” The report suggested the district retain the services of a professional engineer to help identify what the causes of water infiltration and to suggest what corrective actions must be taken.
“The keystone of treatment is to decrease or limit exposure to allergens, with good environmental control,” said Rooklin. “Whether it is dust proofing a bedroom, eliminating animal exposure and keeping mold growth down by eliminating water damage and remediating water damage if it has occurred. Schools need to do that as well.”
