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Pleas to close Key Middle School are going unheeded, at present, in Houston Independent School District, even after many students and staff became ill from an as yet undetermined exposure in this school where visible mold was evident.
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http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/5133961.html
Comments posted below are from this newspaper and are not endorsed by SMH. We include these to reveal what some in the public are thinking.
Shenda Thompson, mother of two Key Middle School students, takes a bus to the Houston school board meeting Thursday. (see link for photo)
Billy Smith II: CHRONICLE
Sept. 14, 2007, 12:34AM
HISD chief refuses to close Key Middle School
Pleas to close site are rejected after teachers fall ill over two weeks
By ERICKA MELLON
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
Houston Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra rejected pleas to close Key Middle School on Thursday after hearing directly from teachers who have been to the emergency room and parents who fear the building is making their children ill.
"If at any time we feel that there really is a specific danger, as we look at the information that is being returned to us, absolutely we'll shut down the building," Saavedra told several dozen Key employees and parents at a late afternoon school board meeting.
"But," he said, "until we find some evidence that there is a serious problem out there, I think we need to continue to teach children out there."
On Thursday, however, several parents, employees and representatives of the Houston Federation of Teachers strongly disagreed that the northeast Houston school is safe, blaming mold contamination or another air problem.
They questioned why, over the past two weeks, some 10 teachers have left the school by ambulance after reporting shortness of breath and other symptoms.
Felicia Nelson, a mother of two daughters at Key, said they have complained of headaches and difficulty breathing, and a doctor told her he wasn't sure of the cause. The girls, she said, have missed three days of school.
"Please get the school under control, so my kids can come back," Nelson told the board.
Another mother said her son has had headaches, while three teachers described problems, such as skin rashes, headaches and breathing problems.
"I'm a very healthy person. I'm not diabetic. I don't have high blood pressure, but I keep getting sick when I'm in the building," said Ronald Jacobs, a science teacher who was the first to go to the hospital two weeks ago.
Jarain Sowells, a special-education teacher, said he has broken out in rashes and experienced a burning feeling in his arms and face.
"My question is, what do I tell my students when they don't feel safe at school ... when I'm fearing for my own safety?"
Saavedra highlighted that Key has been deemed safe by a private company, ICU Environmental, Health & Safety, which has observed the school and collected 47 air samples since Sept. 2.
The district also planned to run a new type of test that would check for various air contaminants Thursday night, said Robert Robertson, general manager of facilities.
Gwen Johnson, a manager of the district's health and medical services, said students have come to the nurse's office at Key with "typical middle school complaints of stomachaches and headaches" — nothing serious enough to need an ambulance.
Jackie Anderson, a special-education teacher at Key, said in an interview that she was insulted at suggestions the teachers were feigning illness. She said she experienced an allergic reaction after returning to Key in early August. That was before the teachers' union raised concerns about mold and the school made headlines.
Anderson said her doctor put her on allergy medicine after she reported severe headaches, nasal problems and itchiness on her waist and arms. She pointed out a few scars on her forearms.
"We're not trying to grandstand," she said. "We're worried about our long-term health."
The teachers' union says eight teachers went to the hospital Wednesday, while the Houston Fire Department has said it transported six.
No teachers left school for the hospital Thursday, said union representative Corina Ortiz, though about 15 of about 50 teachers were absent.
Board member Larry Marshall, a former area superintendent who oversaw Key, encouraged Saavedra to reach out to experts nationally and to those at Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas Health Science Center.
"It's not just a matter of whether mold or some other demon is present," he said. "If one thinks it is present, it's a real challenge."
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-------------- Comments:
donnakaye wrote:
Toxins from indoor molds are a certain health threat to those who's immune
system cannot get them out of the body. HP, a serious lung illness can
develope with prolonged exposure to these colonizing molds. There are many
symptoms of indoor mold illness which can be found at www.schoolmoldhelp.org, a website dedicated to the education of many on this
very serious problem with our schools which have developed leaks or have
too small an air-conditioning system which lets mold grow in it and it causes
the indoor humidity to be increased allowing mold to take hold on library
books, etc. This happened at a high school in the city in which I live.
I have several health problems from being exposed to high toxins from several
molds that had taken up residence in our home from water leaks. Had to leave
it with only the clothing on our backs. These children, teachers, etc. are
being treated unfairly do to the lack of knowledge of this serious issue.
Asthma isn't always a symptom of mold exposure - everyone is effected
differently depending on their genetic make-up.
9/14/2007 10:12:42 PM
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missvee1 wrote:
My family had to move out and take nothing with us from our home. It has been over one year now. We all experienced different symptomology at first including burning throat, allergic type reactions etc. Then, my children developed either sound or light sensitivity overnight. My wife in a matter of weeks became totally intolerant to fumes and scents of any kind. Not one of us had the same symptoms while living unbeknownst to us in mycotoxin producing molds that were growing inside our walls. We looked like we were all going nuts, but we knew better. We spent plenty on testing. Because of course we did not want to walk away from our home and its belongings! All I can say after reading this is this: Things do not affect everyone the same way. To the post that said that the kids would get hit first - hogwash! Often times children do better simply because they are young and healthy. If however any age is allergic to any certain substance, we have learned that whatever the substance, it can really take even a greater toll on you! Our lives are completely changed as a direct result of living in a home that was being worked on. There were fans blowing and those mold spores went airborne. The first guy we paid to test our home FOUND NOTHING. The second found some problem. The third found the home totally uninhabitable. He had air moving in the home when he tested. We knew from our symptoms, something was very wrong. We just werent sure what it was. See Mycotoxicosis.com for some symptoms. These are documented medically. See schoolmoldhelp.org for great reading materials and information. This is nothing to screw around with. I have reactive air disease now and cannot be around anything that isnt totally benign. Not perfume,not laundry soap, not diesel fuel. A trip into the grocery store gets me sick. Like my doctor said, "It is like it stripped me of my insulation" - our lives will never be the same. May I add, the total area of visible mold growth at our home was less than 2 square feet. The problem lies when you disturb it. There are over 10 million invisible spores per square inch or more. It is invisible people,and though you may think you kill the mold cleaning it,you do not kill the mycotoxins produced by the molds short of deep freezing or fire. The only way to remediate is to REMOVE the offender. As to hysteria: workers came to our home knowing nothing, and had reactions. I vote for finding another place to go to school. Hang in there. Homeschooling is an option. Look around at the environment. Waterstained ceiling tiles mean RUN! Funky feelings in a building mean it isnt healthy. My little boy now gets sick just sitting in choir because the carpet is brand new. We were fine before mold exposure. RUN and don't look back. You are not crazy!
9/14/2007 2:31:07 PM
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disabledteacher2 wrote:
To the teachers and parents...don't let anyone convince you of any psycobabble. Mold and chemicals are endocrine disruptors, can lead to significant autoimmune problems,have been associated with MS and other neurological compromises, and in the end can disable a person for life. Find an environmental doctor who knows about the symptoms of mold/chemical exposures and get tested. I know kids in sick schools in the West who tested positively for high inflammatory markers and xylene or benzene. OSHA told me that they couldn't document the mold issues because it was political... so much for your protecting organization. Unions historically don't get involved. Trust me...filing a worker's comp. case is preferable to being dead. I got out with my life and struggle daily to deal with the health challenges but it is better than the other alternative!
9/14/2007 1:18:48 PM
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NoMoreSchoolMold wrote:
Dr. David C. Straus, at Texas Tech University, Co-Director of The Center for Indoor Air Research, is an outstanding resource, in nearby Lubbock. Dr. Straus could examine the building and tell you what is causing these problems.
9/14/2007 11:59:42 AM
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commboss wrote:
Some time between to day and when the school becomes the next EPA Superfund clean up site, I ask this question.
2 rounds of tests for types of mold a few days apart, did not answer why this is a sick building.
So it is not the molds that were expected. There is a problem here.
Schools are about testing, so expand testing on food air, water, dirt, walls, floors and any thing else.
Teachers and children who enter this school are getting sick.
I always knew allowing your kid to attend public scholl was a risk, but this is going too far by Dr. Al and the School Board
9/14/2007 11:39:47 AM
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SNiPER1 wrote:
TO Those Concerned With HISD:
An amazing new product called SNiPER has been developed recently. I've just recently heard of the product after contracting MRSA offshore. It's a completely non-toxic sterilant and could be used to treat schools. After hearing about the product I researched it and purchased some SNiPER very cheaply at http://www.taylors-international.com/. I've been using it just around my house and found amazing results. I have two daughters going to public schools and was thinking just getting some for them to use for personal use at there school. Check it out. It's worked great for me.
9/14/2007 11:29:06 AM
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haikunick wrote:
Houston is a hotbed of Mold-phobia. The fact that people have anxiety over the presence of mold means that they will fret about the mildest of personal symptoms. Mold doesn't do much if it's not producing airborne spores and those tests would have found mold if it was present. This all started when teachers freaked about mold on the AC ducts. Then the custodians were ordered to clean the ducts with bleach, but they got ill from the bleach. (Were they using full strength bleach? Thats overkill, even just the clorox kitchen spray would be enough to clean.) Once the custodians got sick dealing with the mold/bleach, the teachers like a herd of lemmings began to freak about "Killer Black Mold" and they started dropping like flies. Even if the health effects of chronic exposure to high levels of mold spores is a slow and gradual process rather than the call an ambulance situation. And why haven't the children had similar emergency needs for breathing problems? I think it points to the psychosomatic nature of the teacher's health complaints. 15 teachers out at the same time is rather dramatic and they need to get their butts back in school. The problem is that you're going to need to cure their psychological problems/fears to keep them from repeating their psychosomatic emergencies. They need some sort of Mold Shaman to cleanse the school. It doesn't help that the principal disliked by Saavedra after her involvement teacher led cheating.
9/14/2007 11:08:55 AM
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electric wrote:
It seems to me the kids with asthma would be affected first, and need emergency care, but we are not seeing this, it is only teachers. I have not read that any of the teachers has asthma in order for them to be affected like that. I wonder????????
9/14/2007 10:55:58 AM
1Deedle wrote:
Here we go, how about Abe and the high ups with HISD going to the middle school and sitting there for a week. Then we will see if the school is fine. However, at this point they sit back in some other building and declare this is a safe structure. Horse hockey.
Funny, they are not at risk, but they continue putting teachers and students at risk. Lets see them walk a mile in these people's shoes, betcha it would be a closed school.
9/14/2007 6:48:53 AM
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Govchance wrote:
Certainly, this situtation deserves a second opinion by another environmental company with expertise in testing for contaminated air. That is the very least HISD should be willing to do. It should be relatively easy to determine by testing whether the air is contaminated or not. Also there could be another culprit besides the air. At the risk of being accused of being politically incorrect, but based on experience, it would not surprise me if the air, after being tested is found to be 100% completely safe.
Govchance
9/14/2007 6:56:57 AM
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1Deedle wrote:
If the air is completely safe, then there is something more there. Then they need more indepth inspections of the school, and maybe the surrounding environment.
Years ago in Conroe, teachers and students got sick at school, it was due to a fool who dumped gas into the sewers. More needs to be looked into, or there will be problems with more people getting sick.
9/14/2007 7:26:36 AM
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TheeAdvocate wrote:
Well the parents and teachers have spoken. Who is listening? Not the Superintendent, not public officials, not the public agencies.
**********
Govchance wrote:
Certainly, this situtation deserves a second opinion by another environmental company with expertise in testing for contaminated air. That is the very least HISD should be willing to do.
****************
Below is the website for ICU Environmental - check out their credentials and their CLIENTS. It is important to know if there are conflicts of interest. Why, because you need to know whose side their on or are they truly independent.
http://www.icusafety.com/
Below is a link to the Texas State Department of Safety and Healths guidelines for IAQ, mold, etc. Public schools should be utilizing these guidelines. Start at the bottom of the document and read the Table. Then read the additional information above, if necessary.
http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/iaq/SchoolsGuide.shtm#Remediation_o
So, if you can't see the problem then there is no problem? This is confusing since every public building in the U.S. evacuates for bomb threats.
9/14/2007 7:54:44 AM
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creech wrote:
Govchance, you are right on target. Testing should continue. I can only go on the media reports, but: it appears HISD is investigating appropriately, and (at the risk of the rath of the political correct police), the teachers' union sure seems to be using this instead of helping. Medical info is a privacy issue, but I don't see any employees finding a physican to corrolate all of the symtoms to help pinpoint the search. It appears from the media that these employees just want to complain, not to work to solve the problem.
9/14/2007 8:07:43 AM
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KlausVonStein wrote:
I wonder if the teachers who are having these problems are fat and out of shape? I also wonder why students who have complained of the same symptoms are not being taken out by ambulance as are the teachers when they complain of the same symptoms...ie headache and stomach problems.
If the building is found to be safe by experts then the "sick" teachers should be fired. If the building is found to have some sort of contaminant causing this illness then the Saavedra should step down and if the teachers union wants to continue complaining and air their dirty laundry in the Chronicle then they should hire their own indoor air quality expert and release the results to the public.
9/14/2007 8:47:19 AM
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CABBIE52 wrote:
Call in A&M
9/14/2007 9:07:08 AM
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TheLoneRanger wrote:
I'm not an HISD's fan, but on this one, they seem to be doing the right thing. The symptoms shown on some people, could be caused by stress and anxiety for worrying too much about the problem.
TLR
9/14/2007 9:09:32 AM
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firebird1965 wrote:
Odd how only the teachers are the only ones getting sick and having to leave in an ambulance. Sounds suspiciously like some kind of union stunt.
9/14/2007 9:27:05 AM
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Watch4me wrote:
There is something very political behind this hysteria ...
9/14/2007 9:37:14 AM
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nitsirk wrote:
Was any remodeling done in the school over the summer? Many building products contain formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is in particle board, carpet, fabrics, glues to glue down carpets and wood floors. Formaldehyde is used in the printing process to set colors. It is also used in fabrics to set the colors. I have gotten severe headaches and rashes in the presence of formaldehyde. I think it is very likely that whatever is making people ill may not show up on a formal test. You have to know what it is you are looking for to know what test to run. Building products emit fumes. Paint fumes make many people ill. It would be interesting to know if there was any remodeling done this summer at Key.
Did anyone get sick last year? How long has it been since the air ducts in the building were cleaned? They could just get the air ducts cleaned and see if that results in less illness.
Illness is not a stunt. Just because the common culprits are not the cause does not mean there is no problem. The proof is in the pudding. People are sick. That is the proof that something is wrong. They need to keep looking.
9/14/2007 9:44:09 AM
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Watch4me wrote:
Seems only CERTAIN people are sick Nit, and they all seem to have union ties ...
9/14/2007 9:45:58 AM
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rhsrxs wrote:
Hey Abelardo, if there isn't a problem at the schoool why don't you relocate your office to this school and spend the next 2-3 weeks there. If you are not willing to do this you are not much of a boss and certaintly don't deserve to be in your current position.
9/14/2007 9:47:52 AM
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Arachnyss wrote:
Thing is...a few years from now HISD will get sued because of asbestos like ailments...
He coulda at least relocated them while the school is investigated for contaminates.
9/14/2007 10:47:31 AM
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electric wrote:
It seems to me the kids with asthma would be affected first, and need emergency care, but we are not seeing this, it is only teachers. I have not read that any of the teachers has asthma in order for them to be affected like that. I wonder????????
9/14/2007 10:55:58 AM
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