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Some parent groups formed out of concerns about their local "sick schools", that have unhealthy school indoor air quality (IAQ), use a website that they set up for communications. These parent groups post all pertinent information and documents on these sites. They keep the local parent community aware of timelines and meetings, school board and district contacts and press releases, testing, legal concerns and more. We have assembled 8 examples for you to explore - each one is outstanding.
Two of the latest ones are:
www.coronacleanair.org (Tempe, AZ) (4/08) (This parent group is 150 strong and successfully working systematically to steer their school district into allowing a third party to test and oversee remediation or rebuilding efforts)
http://95.nomoldleftbehind.com (Lake Zurich, IL) (4/08) (shows a superior electronic petition that has received over 500 signatures in a short time)
http://www.fungusbusters.org (Pine Bush, NY) (tells how to use a formfeed scanner to avoid charges with district documents accessed under FOIA, etc.)
1. CT Parent and Community Group:
http://pollutionfreeschools.org/connfess/about/
Connecticut Foundation
for Environmentally Safe Schools (CONFESS)
Introduction
In July 2002, a group of concerned citizens, parents, educators environmentalists and health professionals from across Connecticut formed a grassroots organization called "The Canary Committee". They referred to themselves as the "The Canary Committee" because their core members had suffered from the debilitating health effects caused by sick schools. Among their ranks were parents of sick children whose illness had been directly linked to environmental conditions in their schools. A number of those "canaries" were former teachers who are now disabled and unable to work due to health issues triggered by sick schools when they were once empoyed. Some of these educators were still teaching but had to take many prescription medications in order to function in the unhealthy classrooms to which they were assigned.
The Canary Committee was founded on the belief that far too often the discovery and remediation of indoor pollution was not occurring until after the health of school occupants was already harmed.
Such an approach that treats children and school staff as though they were "canaries in a coal mine" was the catalyst for launching a legislative campaign to enact a law that would better safeguard school occupants from potential environmental hazards such as mold, lead, asbestos, radon and pesticides.
Lead by their mascot, Kirby the Canary, and joined by state coalition partners such as Toxics Action Center, the Ecological Health Association, CT Parent/Teacher Association and the CT Education Association, the Canary Committee successfully lobbied for passage of "An Act Concerning Indoor Air Quality In Schools".
In 2004, the Canary Committee was renamed the Connecticut Foundation for Environmentally Safe Schools. (See Mission)
JOIN CONNFESS TODAY!
2. Clean Schools Initiative, TX
http://cleanschoolsinitiative.org/
The Clean Schools Initiative, a citizen's group founded by concerned parents, was organized as a result of our school district’s decision to re-purpose a former chemical research laboratory with an elementary school. Our backgrounds are varied, including medical, scientific, business and technology.
There is no legislation in Texas preventing our school district from building this school on contaminated land. We plan to lobby for new legislation to prevent this from happening again.
(located in the greater Austin TX area, Leander Independent School District, Leander, TX)
3. Leander Kids First (Leander, TX)
http://leanderkidsfirst.net/
who we are
Who We Are
Submitted by lkf on Fri, 2007-01-19 03:24.
We're a group of average Leander ISD* parents who started a web site for other parents in Leander ISD. We don't have fancy titles or roles, just inquisitive minds and caring hearts.
Your letters and suggestions for content are always welcome - send to
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To join, please email
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What We Stand For
* Academic robustness as the highest priority
* Revitalized Science and Engineering curricula
* Higher college enrollment rates
* Measurable programs to reduce dropout rates
* Term Limits for Board of Trustees
* National search for a new Superintendent
* Sane Zoning
* Proactive land purchasing using a master plan
* Professional ethics with faculty
* Zero portable classrooms
* International Baccalaureate option from primary through high school
* Orchestra Program
* Student uniforms
* Very high transparency of internal operations: all major documents in a web based repository for public access
* A clear, published curriculum for each grade
* Annual surveys of parents and faculty
* Superintendent evaluations that include parent and faculty inputs
* Open, online forums for parent and faculty feedback to Board
* New facilities should be built to "green" (LEED) standards
* Board members who certify they have no direct or indirect financial interest in the district
* Leander Independent School District, Leander TX
4. An outstanding Westport, CT parent group's site:
KHS Clean Air :
located at http://www.khscleanair.org
"This blog is dedicated to improving the air quality for children and teachers at King’s Highway Elementary School in Westport, CT"
An example from their first page (go to site for photos and documents):
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Landon Lied to BOE?
At last Monday's Westport Board of Education meeting on August 13th, (Superintendent) Elliott Landon was asked to provide a complete history of the air quality issues at King's Highway Elementary School.
He explained that he started in his role in 1999 and couldn't locate any records of air quality issues before 1999. Under his watch, Landon referred to the 2001, 2006 and 2007 studies that the administration commissioned and we have had posted on this blog for weeks. These were the only air quality studies and documented issues that Landon said existed when he answered the BOE's request for a complete history.
That appears to have been a lie.
There was another air quality study at KHS completed by outside experts (LMG Consulting Engineers) for Mr. Landon and the administration in 2002. This study was never shared with the BOE. This study was never shared with parents. This study was never shared with the media. Elliott Landon omitted it from his complete history on air quality at KHS.
The March 8, 2002 report is attached below and is extremely troubling. It indicates that some ventilation fans were inoperable and been so for considerable time and that there were 15 air quality code violations at the school. These violations include:
No controlled ventilation in the Gym or Auditorium
A storage room (#151) being used as a classroom with NO ventilation
Numerous instances of toilet exhaust being connected to building exhaust
A storage room (#234) being used as an office with NO ventilation
As shown above, 5 out of 8 exhaust fans were not running at KHS leading to actual airflow of 23% of the designed air flow.
There are a number of recommendations in the 2002 study. As with Landon's seven month wait from Sep 2006 to close the pod and failure to ever seal it, we question whether any of these recommendations were acted upon in a timely manner or at all.
There is an upcoming BOE meeting at Westport Town Hall next week, Aug 27nd. We look forward to hearing how Landon explains this omission to his employer, the BOE on delivering a complete history of KHS air quality issues since he has led the administration.
There is an excellent review of this report and questions that it raises in today's Westport News. Westport News has tracked all of the capital requests for KHS since 2002 that suggest the violations may not have been fixed. You can read it here.
5. Plantation Parent: Plantation Elementary School, Lafayette, Louisiana
http://www.plantationparent.com/
Example of their first page:
5-28-07
Welcome to PlantationParent.com: A website devoted to the ongoing Mold problem at Plantation Elementary. Please visit the links at left to get specific information, and send any information you think may be helpful to educate Plantation parents.
Report of Class Action Lawsuit Filed 5-28-07
The Daily Advertiser and TV news media outlets report that three families have filed a lawsuit related to mold exposure at Plantation Elementary, enlisting the help of local attorney Clayton Burgess.
School Board Mulls over "Tools For Schools" 5-17-07
The Lafayette Parish School board, in a special meeting, received a presentation on the EPA's Indoor Air Quality program for schools entitled Tools For Schools. Board members each received a box set of the the IAQ Tools For Schools Action Kit, also available in electornic form. Plantationparent.com also received a copy of the Tools For Schools kit, and will be featuring this initiative in an upcoming website presentation.
Dr. Luann White, toxicologist, noted an ongoing study in New Orleans that will track the health of children affected by mold over a three year period. Dr. White stated that the tracking will include medical testing of the children.
Dr. Bernard Fruge's presentation centered around mold and litigation, and the difficulty with proving a causal link between mold exposure and health concerns.
Green Cleaning For Schools in Illinois 5-16-07
Green cleaning, a component of the EPA's Tools For Schools, became part of Illinois law today, in an effort to reduce chemical exposure in school buildings.
5-15-07
UConn Health Center offers the Clinician's Guide to Mold. UConn Health Center helped the EPA to create their "Tools For Schools" program, a topic of Thursday's School Board Meeting (see below).
Special School Board Meeting on Mold This Thursday, 5 p.m.!
Please see the school board agenda for this important meeting and make plans to attend Thursday, May 17th at 5 p.m.. The agenda includes:
I. INFORMATION ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES – BORDELON
A. Plantation Elementary School Mold Update
B. Mold and Allergies – Dr. Bernard Fruge’
C. EPA’s Tools for Schools Program – Dr. Luann White and Melanie Wearing
D. Questions
Dr. Tina Stefanski commented by phone about the meeting, see the guestbook for details.
Plantation Cleanup Details and Testing Results Returned 5-15-2007
Please see the LPSS Website for the complete report, and as always, please read the results carefully.
Indoor Air Contamination, Mold and Toxins Talk 5-15-2007
Dr. Andrew W. Campbell, M.D. spoke at the Best Western Pinhook (Hotel Acadiana) on Indoor Air Contamination, Mold and Toxins, Tuesday, May 15 at 6:30 p.m. There was a lecture with general information and a question and answer session following the lecture. Kyle Bordelon, Maintenance Director of LPSS, asked several pointed questions about Dr. Campbell's qualifications and the state of his medical license in Texas. Parents asked specific questions about treatment, test results and remediation efforts, and received general information about their inquiries. If you would like to comment on Dr. Campbell's talk, please write in the guestbook.
Dr. Campbell's name appears on the Casewatch.org website. In the question and answer session after his talk, when asked about this information, Dr. Campbell mentioned two large insurance companies that did not want to cover his testing and treatment as being the source of the complaints.
Plantation Cancels Family Fun Night for Mold Meeting!
Because of a conflict with the special school board meeting, Family Fun Night was cancelled this Thursday, 5-17-2007.
Plantation Extends School Year One Day Due to Mold Closure
A recorded phone message from Ms. Kay Marix at Plantation Elementary stated that there will be a makeup day of school this Friday, May 18th, due to closure for mold cleanup. The message stated that buses will run on that day.
5-6-2007
Dr. Albert Robbins explores Multiple Chemical Sensitivities on his Internet radio program, The Environmental Healing Hour, Sundays in May at 4 p.m. CST.
Linda May offers Free Informational Meeting on Mold Sunday, 5-6-07
5-4-07 Fire Station Closes Due to Mold - Firemen Relocated
In related news, KLFY reports that an Alexander street fire station in Lafayette was closed due to mold, and firemen and equipment were moved to other locations.
School Board Met Wednesday 5-2-07, 5:30 p.m.
Mold not on School Board Agenda
Plantation received mention for their student of the year, but otherwise was not mentioned at the board meeting, until the public comments. For more information, please see the Guestbook.
5-1-07
Those with interest may wish to view state Freedom of Information Laws and how they apply to the Lafayette Parish School System. The Lousiana Public Records Act spells out how the public can access state government information.
CME's on Mold For Doctors in Medical Resources.
Do you suspect you have a mold problem at home? Local Professionals Cal Grevemberg & Assoc., Inc. will test. See Mold Resources for more information.
Amanda Harris of the Daily Advertiser needs your input to keep the story alive. Call her at (337) 289-6474 or e-mail to
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.
Kay Marix's Note to Plantation Parents is In the News
Brandon Hartness Responds to Dr. Easton's Comments.
Is Your Child Going Back To Plantation? Vote Below...
Plantation Students to Returned To School 4-25-07
A Connect-Ed message from the LPSS Office of Risk Management stated that cleaning has been performed and post-cleaning results will be released as soon as they are made available. The message ends with "we welcome our students and staff back to school".
4-24-07
Call For Dr. Easton To Retract Statement!
The Baton Rouge Advocate quotes Dr. Easton as saying:
“There are clearly some parents who are fully sincere and genuinely concerned for their children,” he said. “I also believe there are parents who are opportunistic and look to take advantage.”
I know of no parent who is "looking to take advantage", only those who want to find out what is wrong with their children! I call for Dr. Easton to immediately retract this unfortunate statement. I urge you to call Dr. Easton's office at 521-7014 or 521-7015 and let him know how you feel.
- Edwin Howard
Confirmed: Jester Nutritional Consultants No Longer Testing for Possible Mold Toxins. See the GuestBook and Yahoo Mail Group for More Information. Also, more Medical Resources are available.
4-23-07 Updated Medical Resources for those with a Medical Background.
Brandon Hartness, plantation parent, starts an E-mail Group:
Homepage: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/plantationparent/
Post a message:
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Subscribe to the group:
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Plantation Parents Meet With Dr. Brent Prather 4-20-07
Plantation parents met with Dr. Brent Prather in an effort to find out the root cause of many illnesses that seem to have common symptoms. Dr. Prather offered to give a free second opinion to any Plantation child experiencing symptoms.
Dr. Tina Stefanski from DHH was also present, and agreed to collect symptom information from Plantation parents. Stay tuned to this website for information about how to submit this information!
Justine Sutley of the Lafayette Parish School System reported that Envirocon consulting will perform air, bulk, tape lift and swab sampling this weekend at Plantation elementary.
More Test Results From School Board - READ CAREFULLY
Please see the Lafayette Parish School System's website for the latest press release and test results. Please read the bulk sampling report carefully, especially information about room 49. Follow the links in the blue box at the bottom of the page. Don't forget to click the "refresh" button on your browser if you don't see the new information on the LPSSONLINE site. Same goes for this website.
Dr. Brent Prather Speaks at Plantation Today 4-20-07, 2 p.m.
Plantation Principal Kay Marix reported via recorded phone message that Dr. Brent Prather , pediatric asthma and allergy specialist, will answer parent's questions today at Plantation Elementary at 2 p.m.
Call For Experts
Experts: we need your input! E-mail Us section will now include reader's letters. Please let us know what you think about the latest sampling results and proposed actions. We need your input!
School Board Discusses Plantation Toxic Mold! 4-18-07
Many thanks to all who attended the school board meeting last night! If anyone knows how to get a transcript of the meeting, please let me know. Please see the In The News section for more information.
Plantation Parents Meet With Kay Marix 4-16-07
Over a dozen plantation parents met with Kay Marix, Principal of Plantation Elementary, at 8 a.m. this morning. Also in attendance was Tom Brown, a Lafayette Parish School Regional Administrator. Mr. Beasley and Mr. Cockerham, school board members, were also in attendance, along with Mrs. Awbrey, wife of another school board member.
These parents related their ongoing struggles with their children's health issues, and asked for a plan of action including testing of all classrooms in plantation.
Kay Marix stated that Mrs. Sahuc's class and Mrs. Olivier's class have been moved out of their regular classrooms. Classes were also moved out of the Band Room.
6. www.coronacleanair.org is the Tempe Arizona parents' website, established in April, 2008, to address a high school with such poor indoor air quality that a rash of very serious illness has broken out, including cancers and respiratory problems.
This group held a protest rally in April 2008, featured on their website.
7.
Visit the Concerned Lake Zurich citizens school mold website
called: No Mold Left Behind 95, at: http://95.nomoldleftbehind.com.
Find public testimonies there and much more! Read all the background stories on the SMH site at http://www.schoolmoldhelp.org/content/view/1156/33/
8.http://www.fungusbusters.org (Pine Bush, NY) (tells how to use a formfeed scanner to avoid charges with district documents accessed under FOIA, etc.)
February 13, 2008 – 11:55 am
Yesterday I was able to utilize a portable formfeed scanner to copy two
large mold reports from PBCSD. In one hour I managed to capture 250 pages
of records at the PBCSD administration office. Two very large reports were
made available in this way, under FOIL they would have cost over $25 each
to copy. Larger reports such as these, which exceed a hundred pages, tend
to represent more in-depth studies, in comparison to the more numerous
smaller reports.
The first is a huge work from 1994, which contains a lot of information
about Pine Bush Elementary. Note how this report skirts around the issue
of wetlands. No "Phase II" of this report is known to exist. The second
document is the latest air tests at PBE, report dated Nov. 9, 2007. Few if
any people have gotten to see this one either.
Right now each page is a separate JPG image. I'm working on a way to pile
all these into comprehensive Acrobat PDFs.
Envirovision Group / Subsurface Investigations
1994 Environmental Site Assessment Report (Phase I, 143 pages)
http://fungusbusters.org/pbcsd/subsurface1994_
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