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Though the district assures the public, in media interviews, that they would not be sending children and staff to an unhealthy school, we have heard these words before, followed by over 20 trips to the emergency room by Key Middle School staff, in the Fall of 2007. The district denies mold problems, yet spent $3 million to do a cleanup to "assure" parents of the school's safety. There was no mention in the media reports of the numerous tests showing dangerous toxic molds present and growing in Key Middle School, the results of self-testing by the teacher's union. We know that the Centers for Disease Control's NIOSH investigation has yet to produce a public report, despite 4 months to do so - highly unusual, leading us to believe that this school district's mold and dampness problems are being covered up. We hope that this school was remediated for mold and that it is healthy, but in view of all of the above, we still have strong concerns about the safety of this very neglected school building. (SMH)
To find out the truth about the past problems at Key Middle School, read the exclusive SMH interview (Winter, 2007) with Houston teacher union president Gayle Fallon, click here.
The news interviews below summarize the current situation, without the teacher union or CDC's input:
Video: Middle School To Reopen Amid Concerns:
Mary Benton Reports
http://www.click2houston.com/news/15553963/detail.html#
For current media coverage of the planned return to the school, see Read more....
HOUSTON METRO
Key Middle School to reopen its doors soon
http://www.khou.com/news/local/houstonmetro/stories/khou080310_rm_keymiddle.3ec18e46.html
10:19 AM CDT on Monday, March 10, 2008
KHOU.com staff report
HOUSTON -- Students and staff will soon return to Key Middle School.
KHOU-TV
Key Middle School
The campus was shut down in September after several staff members reported feeling sick.
Some blamed mold although harmful levels were never found in the school.
Since the closure environmental experts have cleaned and renovated Key Middle.
Students, who have been going to class at nearby Fleming Middle School, will return to Key Middle after spring break on March 25.
http://www.click2houston.com/news/15553963/detail.html
HISD To Reopen Key Middle School
By Mary Benton
POSTED: 11:18 am CDT March 10, 2008
UPDATED: 6:07 pm CDT March 10, 2008
Video: Middle School To Reopen Amid Concerns:
Mary Benton Reports
http://www.click2houston.com/news/15553963/detail.html#
HOUSTON -- After six months and $3 million worth of cleanup, the Houston Independent School district announced Monday that it will reopen Key Middle School after Spring Break, KPRC Local 2, Your Education Station, reported.
The school was shut down in September after several staff members and students complained of respiratory problems.
Critics claimed the school was filled with dangerous toxins, but a report by safety experts found that there were no unusual levels of mold inside the building.
While classes for Key Middle School students were held at nearby Fleming Middle School, crews tore out ceiling tile and replaced the old air conditioning system.
HISD said it has made extensive improvements, including pressure washing and painting, and purchasing new library books and textbooks.
"We've replaced the chiller. We've replaced the cooling tower. We've looked at piping and cleaned that out," regional superintendent Cynthia Wilson told KPRC Local 2. "We've going underneath the building to look at issues that were contributing to sort of a damp building."
Construction and renovation work will continue during Spring Break, and then classes will resume on March 26.
While some students and their parents are anxious to return to their "home campus," U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee said she is still concerned.
She wants the district to construct temporary buildings around the Key Middle School campus while workers continue cleaning and HISD continues to explore options for new construction.
"Do we really believe the floors are safe, the walls are safe, the marble is safe? Mold is very difficult and this was obviously a very dangerous condition as evidence by the Centers for Disease Control," Jackson Lee said.
But Wilson said, "We believe Key is ready to be occupied. I don't think we would send students and staff back if we were not confident that the building was safe to returning students and staff to work there."
Previous Stories:
November 5, 2007: Congresswoman Wants Key Middle School Closed Permanently
October 19, 2007: CDC Finds Mold At Key Middle School
October 12, 2007: Protest Dwindles Outside Key Middle School
October 10, 2007: Walkout Canceled At Middle School
October 10, 2007: Community Leaders Plan Protest At Key Middle School
September 28, 2007: CDC Finds Issues At Key Middle School
September 26, 2007: Middle Schools Merge While Campus Tested
September 21, 2007: Key Students, Staff Relocated To Fleming
September 21, 2007: Key MS Has History Of Humidity Problems
September 20, 2007: Key Middle School To Temporarily Close
September 19, 2007: Congresswoman Wants Everyone Out Of Key MS
September 15, 2007: Students: Mold At School Made Us Sick
September 12, 2007: More Teachers Sickened At Key Middle School
September 10, 2007: 2 Teachers Sickened At Key Middle School
If you have a story idea that impacts students or schools, KPRC Local 2 wants to hear from you. E-mail us at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Copyright 2008 by Click2Houston.com.
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AP Texas News
March 10, 2008, 5:45PM
Houston school to reopen, $3 million spent to address air quality
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/5607799.html
© 2008 The Associated Press
HOUSTON — A Houston middle school is scheduled to reopen later this month, nearly six months after it closed because of air-quality concerns.
Key Middle School closed in late September after numerous staffers and students complained of ailments since school began Aug. 27. The school is expected to undergo another round of air-quality tests this week. If clean, students will return to school on March 26, school district officials said Monday.
The more than 600 students and staff from Key have been attending nearby Fleming Middle School.
The campus has received about $3 million worth of testing, cleaning and renovations since shutting down, officials said.
School officials initially resisted calls by the Houston Federation of Teachers to vacate the school. Tests by an independent contractor and city inspectors had not found unsafe levels of mold.
But teachers and students continued to complain of skin rashes, headaches and difficulty breathing.
In October, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the presence of mold at the school. The CDC report did not address whether the mold was unsafe or caused sickness.
The school has undergone extensive cleaning and renovations, according to district spokesman Terry Abbott.
"Crews removed asbestos, installed new anti-microbial carpeting, replaced ceiling tiles that were damaged by water, repaired the air conditioning system, pressure washed the building, and used bulldozers to change the grading of the land around the school building to improve drainage," Abbott said in a statement.
Key Principal Mable Caleb, who earlier had said her doctor ordered her to wear a surgical mask while at the school, said in a statement that the school's staff and students "are very elated and excited to return home ... ."
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http://www.chron.com/disp/commnts.mpl/ap/tx/5607799.html
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Jose1 wrote:
For 3 million, they should have bulldozed it and built a new one.
3/10/2008 6:40 PM CDT
Recommend Report abuse
NoMoreSchoolMold wrote:
Our question is: who is doing the clearance testing? The last set of district tests, reportedly costing taxpayers $50,000, showed a healthy building even though hundreds were ill and later teacher union testing showed the presence of toxic molds. For more information about District Testing and air testing visit: https://www.schoolmoldhelp.org/content/category/4/19/39/. We recommend that the teacher union hire their own IAQ professional to examine the building and conduct a thorough evaluation, which usually costs several thousand, at most.
3/11/2008 11:59 AM CDT
Recommended Report abuse
NoMoreSchoolMold wrote:
Where is the CDC-OSHA NIOSH report on Key Middle School? It is not listed on the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation site (HHE). This is highly irregular, it is a public document. The NIOSH investigators DID include the report of toxic mold found through the union's self-testing. To learn more about the union's and teachers' perspectives on what was wrong with the building and how many were really ill, go to http://www.schoolmoldhelp.org/content/view/1060/46/. To read more about the union's test results, click http://www.schoolmoldhelp.org/content/view/783/33/.
3/11/2008 1:09 PM CDT
Recommended Report abuse
NoMoreSchoolMold wrote:
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/default.html is the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) home page - a search for Key Middle School, Houston, etc., provides no documents. They have had four months to come up with a report. I would like to see public pressure brought to bear on this agency to: 1. have it be accurate and 2. make the report public. Perhaps Rep. Lee might help with this.
3/11/2008 1:15 PM CDT
Recommended (1) Report abuse
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HISD To Reopen Key Middle School - Education News Story - KPRC Houston
HOUSTON -- A middle school that was closed because of air quality issues will soon reopen, KPRC Local 2 reports. Monday, March 10, 2008.
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