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"Huydic said the school district needs to acknowledge that it was mistaken by not releasing the air-quality reports from tests between 2001 and 2006 and, going forward, it needs to create a memorandum of agreement with the unions to fully disclose future reports."...
Wanted: A Working Relationship
http://www.westport-news.com/ci_7158477
By Michael C. Juliano
Article Launched: 10/12/2007 09:54:05 AM EDT
Following responses by Superintendent of Schools Elliott Landon to parents' questions on the occurrence of mold in Westport's schools since 2001, some parents and union representatives say they want better communication of their concerns over the health of their children at Westport's schools.
Ed Huydic, president of the Westport Education Association, said there has always seemed to be the need for teachers to prove that mold in the schools was causing a health problem.
"I don't know if it's the teachers' responsibility necessarily to have to come forward with proof," he said at the board's Tuesday night meeting. "I think a working relationship between a concerned administration and an obviously ill person, who might have very well been documenting their health concerns over a period of time, should be a working partnership as opposed to what my sense was: a relationship that was not so much give-and-take, but give and we'll review and we'll see."
Huydic said the school district needs to acknowledge that it was mistaken by not releasing the air-quality reports from tests between 2001 and 2006 and, going forward, it needs to create a memorandum of agreement with the unions to fully disclose future reports.
"If you can do those two things, I'll think you'll have come a long way to put some salve on some wounds that have been opened in the recent past," he said.
Sarah Gutterman, a music teacher at King's Highway Elementary School (KHS), said she was concerned with Landon's answer stating there was no evidence of mold in a portable classroom before it was closed for the summer and the ventilation was turned off. She said she did tell Landon she was concerned there was mold in that classroom and that her principal, Maria Castelluccio, told her she'd have to prove what was wrong with her before further testing would be done.
Gutterman said the pod was tested for carbon dioxide and that it was concluded that the air was unhealthy 98 percent of the time.
"However, there was not testing for mold, even though there were letters about how water came under the door and the rug was sodden a great deal of the time," she said, adding the room's heaters and carpet were changed. "When the heaters were changed, there was this black slimy substance that I wrote about as a concern."
That portable classroom was demolished and removed in August 2007; however, there are still two portable classrooms where mold was found on the school property.
Gutterman said she hopes tests are done for mold when other teachers express concerns about their health.
Lauren Tarshis, a parent of a KHS student, said her son is sick from being in that pod and that she has heard no assurances from Landon that the air quality of the schools will be made safe for the students.
In response, Landon said the health and safety of the children has been his primary concern throughout his career and he is committed to Tools for Schools, a program developed by the EPA to reduce indoor air contaminants.
"I believe Tools for Schools will give us the organization to address any issues that may come up in the future, and to address them rapidly and positively for the benefit of both staff and students," he said.
Brendan Reilly, another parent, said years went by before the Board of Education knew there was a mold problem at the school, even though the school administration had received reports of mold at the schools.
"We are dealing with it now," he said. "It'll happen again if we do not take an action to fix the administration's process for dealing with this. If it's Dr. Landon who's making these actions and decisions then he must go because my child has asthma now, and it's not a coincidence."
Board member Mark Mathias said the board should look into creating a better process of reporting concerns.
Reports of mold found in 2001 and 2006 at KHS may be found at www.khscleanair.com, a Web site maintained by the KHS Clean Air Committee, a group of concerned KHS parents.
A written report from Gil Cormier, a certified health consultant hired by the KHS Special Maintenance Committee, on the air quality at KHS has yet to come out, but he did say there were harmless levels of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide found in the school. A number of phone calls and e-mail messages to Cormier requesting additional information on the air quality at the school were not returned.
Cormier also said recently to parents and school officials that "they had found no evidence" that bacteria and mold deemed dangerous to students or staff had ever migrated into the school.
At recent public meetings, however, several parents of students at KHS have complained that their children have been coughing and getting frequent nosebleeds.
Parents also asked if they could bring HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters into the school, but Landon denied the request in a letter.
Linda K. May, a registered nurse from Champaign, Ill., who is accredited by OSHA and the Environmental Protection Agency as an instructor on occupational safety standards, said the molds of aspergillum, penicillium and stachybotrys found at KHS in September 2006 emit a poisonous gas called "T-2," which is short for trichothecene mycotoxin.
"It's a highly toxic mold that feeds off of the cellulose found in the tiles used for ceilings, floors and walls," she said.
May said the mold is a neurotoxin, which can damage the nervous system and may result in behavior changes, seizures or death.
"If your child has complaints, get them to the correct medical professional because it is not an allergy and will show up negative on an allergy report," she said. "It's an immunology. There is no antidote and there is no cure."
More recent stories on this topic at:
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Westport-News, CT - Oct 12, 2007
By Don Casciato The Board of Education presented its battle plan for mold remediation Wednesday night and then faced the scrutiny of the Board of Finance. ...
Wanted: A Working Relationship
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18906169&BRD=1654&PAG=461&dept_id=12915&rfi=6
http://www.westport-news.com/ci_7158477
Westport-News, CT - Oct 12, 2007
By Michael C. Juliano Following responses by Superintendent of Schools Elliott Landon to parents' questions on the occurrence of mold in Westport's schools ...
Landon criticizes Joseloff for response on school mold issue
Westport Minuteman, CT - Oct 11, 2007
Dr. Eliott Landon, Westport superintendent of schools, took great issue Tuesday with a comment made by First Selectman Gordon Joseloff last week concerning ... |
