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Westview families tell court of illness
http://www.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080115/NEWS01/801150310/1002
By TAJUANA CHESHIER
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DRESDEN -- A Monday hearing on an injunction to temporarily close Martin Westview High School in order to deal with a mold problem will continue in Weakley County Circuit Court Thursday morning.
After more than four hours of statements taken from five people Monday, Judge William Acree adjourned for the day.
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Carol Hinman, the mother of two Westview High students, filed a lawsuit against the Weakley County Board of Education in December seeking the injunction.
Hinman has said her children have tested positive for mold exposure and have been suffering many of the symptoms experienced by Caleb Joost, a Westview student whose parents sued the board in September, attorneys representing the plaintiffs have said.
Statements were taken from Caleb Joosts' parents, Richard and Julie Joost, on Monday.
Other statements were taken from Westview teacher Marion Pitts and Louis Taylor, who is with GCA, a company hired to perform custodial duties in the building. Another statement was taken from a former school employee.
Three remaining statements will be taken Thursday from Carol Hinman and her son, Griffin Pochop, a senior at the school, and Lee Elliot.
During court proceedings on Monday, attorneys Larry Parrish and Amber Griffin, who represent Hinman and the Joosts, argued the school has an existing mold problem that has not been properly addressed.
"Nobody is here on a crusade," Parrish said. "The goal is to have a safe place for the children."
Defense attorneys Jason Pannu, who represents Weakley County Schools, and Lee Chase questioned each of the witnesses during the afternoon.
Julie Joost spoke while Griffin pointed to a highlighted map of the school where she's seen mold.
Pitts testified that the mold conditions in her classroom had made her and her students sick.
Attorneys for the school system plan to take only one statement from James Peevyhouse, who conducted a study of the mold in Westview.
Hinman has previously requested the resignation of schools Superintendent Richard Barber for not addressing parents' concerns about the mold problem.
Plaintiffs in the case were in court earlier Monday to address a motion to dismiss filed by Chase, who represents H&M Construction Company Inc.
The construction company is a defendant in the Joosts' case.
After the hearing Monday, Chase told The Jackson Sun that the motion to dismiss was filed because of a state law that allows a four-year window to file a lawsuit against a construction company for new buildings.
Westview opened its present facility to students in 1997, so the window of complaint closed in 2001, Chase said.
Judge Acree said he would rule on the motion at a later date.
Westview is home to more than 700 students and is approximately 145,000 square feet. Many Westview parents have been protesting the issue of mold at the school since October.
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- Tajuana Cheshier, 425-9643 |
