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Parent IAQ Task Force Impacts Unhealthy School, Kings Mills, OH
Thursday, August 12, 2004
Mold found in Kings schools
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By Michael D. Clark
Enquirer staff writer
DEERFIELD TWP. - The discovery of potentially harmful mold has closed the auditorium at Kings Senior and Junior
High School while school officials await test results to see if there is any hazard for students and staff.
Kings officials stressed that the mold, which was caused by increased humidity after carpet-cleaning in the 625-seat
auditorium, has not spread to other parts of the building. Classes are still scheduled to begin Wednesday.
Since 2001, the Warren County high school has had two other, smaller incidents of mold infestation, both caused by
excessive moisture accumulating in parts of the school off Columbia Road.
In the last three years, mold infestation has led to the temporary closure of parts of school buildings in Princeton,
Sycamore, Milford and Lawrenceburg schools.
Kings Superintendent Charles Mason said the district acted quickly after the mold was discovered July 30.
"When we find these things, we have to take them seriously," said Mason. "The auditorium has been closed off and
we've had a crew in there cleaning up the mold. We're waiting for the test results after the cleaning, which should be
ready in a couple of days."
Mason said the auditorium's ventilation system is not connected to the rest of the senior and junior high school
buildings, and that no airborne mold particles spread to other parts of the campus. No estimates are available for the
cost of cleaning the mold.
It is the latest in a series of unusual environmental events to hit the schools since August 2003, when toxic lead from
an abandoned shooting range was discovered on the school's grounds, football stadium and athletic fields. The
subsequent $2 million cleanup - paid for by federal money - left the district without a football stadium and cost the
district more than $20,000 in related costs.
In September 2003 a windstorm caused more than $300,000 in damage - mostly to the district's bus fleet - and closed
schools for two days.
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Parent IAQ Task Force Impacts Unhealthy School, Kings Mills, OH
Kings Local High School Air Concerns
Cinncinnati, OH
wkrc.com
Local 12 News
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Kings Local High School Air Concerns
Kings Mills, OH
LAST UPDATE: 4/21/2006 12:29:33 AM
A task force of parents concerned about mold and high levels of carbon dioxide inside Kings High School say they
haven't ruled out hiring an attorney to help fix the problems.
Several parents Thursday night discussed the recommendations made by the National Institute of Occupational
Safety and Health.
NIOSH advised the Kings School District to replace the building's heating and air conditioning system.
Some parents are demanding a neutral, third party to test the air.
They've asked the school district to respond Friday.
Some background articles re: Kings High School Mold
Cincinnati.Com › communitypress.com ›
Local News
Wednesday, April 26, 2006; Posted: 11:15 a.m. EDT
Kings superintendent: No new testingGroup wants new look at air quality
BY ERIC BRADLEY | COMMUNITY PRESS STAFF WRITER
DEERFIELD TWP. -- Parents gathered last week to discuss the ailments
of their children and their concerns over the environmental
conditions at Kings junior and senior high school.
Donna Davis has a son who attends the high school. He was put on
three days of bedrest for a sinus infection, she said.
Cindy Bogan said she's home schooling her daughter until she feels
the building is safe.
"Our kids have been exposed for years," said parent Robin
Johnson. "At some point, someone needs to be held accountable."
Davis, Bogan, Johnson and others are part of the new Kings
Environmental Task Force, a group of parents and community members
concerned about conditions at the schools.
The Task Force is calling for a second opinion to findings by the
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which found
the district was acting appropriately in replacing the heating and
cooling system at the schools.
Officials from the institute conducted an informational public
hearing last week along with representatives of the Ohio Department
of Health and the Warren County Health Department.
The parents group says the testing is insufficient because the
institute is a group concerned with occupational safety.
Thus, the parents said, it can't adequately address student health
concerns.
The group asked the district to hire Florida-based Pure Air Controls
Inc. to provide neutral, third-party testing at a cost of $25,000.
The district, however, will not comply with the group's request,
according to Chuck Mason, superintendent.
"NIOSH basically told us and the health department of the county and
the state said that no other testing is necessary," said Mason.
"We've already done all the testing that's necessary and any further
testing would be a waste of money."
Mason said work on the $1.5 million replacement heating, ventilating
and air conditioning system (HVAC) will begin when classes end on
May 26.
The district, which authorized the expenditure in March, will
replace 42 ventilators in the high school to relieve high levels of
humidity.
The new units replace 17-year-old equipment that have been cited as
the chief cause for mold, humidity and carbon dioxide problems
dating to 2001.
Parents who met last week were appreciative of the strides made, but
said more work needs to be done -- and they want to be involved.
"We want to make sure from the get-go that this is done properly,"
said Barbara Wilders, a former school board member and member of the
group.
Members of the group said if the district refused to pay for the
testing, they would raise the money themselves.
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248-7577
Kings looks to improve high schoolÂ’s air quality
Work could begin soon, cost about $1.5 million
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Kings Local School District administrators and board members agreed Tuesday night to move quickly to improve
indoor air quality at the high school and junior high school.
The estimated $1.5 million renovations to the existing heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in 45
classrooms could begin before the current school year ends, pending board approval — which could happen as early
as next week.
The move comes after recent public records requests were made by a group of district parents, which revealed that
high levels of carbon dioxide were found in October 2005 in nine of 16 classrooms at the high school.
School officials then moved quickly to get new readings of the classroom air quality over the last two weeks.
“Parents in the community should be outraged,” district parent Robin Johnson said. “They’ve been continually told
they have a serious ventilation problem ... putting kids and staff in a potentially harmful environment.”
The most recent carbon dioxide readings, in tests conducted Feb. 22 to March 3, show that nine of 16 classrooms had
average levels ranging from 829 to 2,187 parts per million (ppm), according to Michael Crandall, whose
Norwood-based indoor environmental services consulting firm was hired to do the study.
Crandall said some of the classrooms exceed the standard for indoor air quality of 1,200 ppm for school buildings, as
set by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).
“The bottom line is there are some ventilation problems in the building,” Crandall told Kings board members
Tuesday night. “The classrooms that were tested are somewhat under-ventilated and a bit warm.”
Since 2001, several district-sponsored studies at the high school have revealed the presence of mold in classrooms,
offices, the auditorium and other rooms. The studies were called for in response to complaints from staff and students
of bad smells, uncomfortable temperatures and high humidity conditions.
Superintendent Chuck Mason said last year’s study was called for in order to gauge mold removal efforts that were
made late last summer. He said they weren’t looking for high carbon dioxide levels.
“This is the culmination of months of work to solve the problems with the ventilation system,” he said.
Mason refuted the claims from district parents that school officials have ignored the ventilation problems. He said
only one teacher and a few parents have complained regarding symptoms, such as headaches, fatigue and
eye/nose/throat irritations that could result from poor indoor air quality.
He added that school officials have worked closely with one student and one teacher, who have severe allergies to
mold, to ensure they are in safe classroom environments.
In addition to outlining the plan to revamp the ventilation system, which involves abandoning the use of the existing
unit ventilators in classrooms, Kings Local Business Manager Steve Waldmann told school board members that
efforts to fix the problem have included running the HVAC system continuously and installing new drainage pipes
around the building, which takes water away from the building and away from ground-level ventilation areas.
Pending board approval, School Treasurer Michael Mowery said the district would have to borrow against a future
permanent improvement levy to get renovations started this year, in time to have the building ready before the start
of the 2006-07 school year.
Contact Richard Wilson at (513) 696-4541 or
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