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Study delays Moss decision
Several board members say they want to move ahead with closure
http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071218/NEWS01/712180320/1002
Amanda Bedgood
The Daily Advertiser
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The final decision to temporarily close N.P. Moss Middle School to assess and repair wall system failure is slated to come in less than a week as board members wait for the completion of an independent study.
A meeting was planned for early this week until parents decided to pursue an independent study to ensure the veracity of the school system officials' claims that the school would need to close for as long as a semester because of problems with the school's walls that are harboring moisture.
The closure will send eighth-graders to Northside High School and sixth- and seventh-graders to Good Hope Baptist Church. School officials said there are no estimates on how long the project could take or how much it could cost because determining the problem requires removing wall panels. No date has been set for a special board meeting to act on Super-intendent Burnell Lemoine's plans to close the school after the holiday break.
Board members Hunter Beasley, Ed Sam and president Carl LaCombe said they want to see the results of an independent study.
Board member Greg Awbrey said despite the backlash that came at a Thursday night meeting with parents, he'll vote to temporarily close the campus.
"I think that we have to do what we feel is in the best interest of the students and the parents and the school system and live with the criticism," Awbrey said.
That criticism was strong when the news came out about the school's closure last week from parents who say there is another motive for closing the campus - to turn it into another school. Board members have denied that is the case.
Awbrey said the actions at N.P. Moss came after a similar situation less than a year ago at Plantation Elementary School on Kaliste Saloom Road. At Plantation, mold was found in two rooms and parents pleaded with the district to close the doors until they knew it was safe for students.
'You have two situations where the board has gone two completely different directions," Awbrey said.
He said the board was lambasted for their decision not to immediately close Plantation last spring and system officials wanted to be preemptive in the Moss case. In the Plantation case, mold accumulated in two rooms because of a leak. The leak was repaired and products contaminated were replaced. There is no leak at Moss. The problem at Moss is far more complex, according to officials who say it could require removing the brick from the outer walls because there is something wrong with the layers of wall.
"They decide to close the school and they get hammered for it," Awbrey said. "They've taken two different approaches. Both decisions, in the view of the public, from the school was wrong."
LaCombe said the problems within the walls of N.P. Moss may require that students leave because the walls could be harboring mold - according to air samples taken on campus there is no mold in the air. But, if the walls are removed - which is likely necessary in order to evaluate the problems within the wall system - and they contain mold it can become airborne.
"What we were looking at were the heath risks with those walls being open up," LaCombe said. "If it can be done any other way so that no child is put at risk at all. I'm just not going to put a child's health at risk. If there's potential, I'll just have to err on the side of caution."
Board member Rae Trahan, who said she plans to vote to temporarily close the campus, said the feelings from parents are based on the history of the school system and other schools that have been shut down, particularly those that serve a majority black student population. Several schools that had been traditionally black were closed through desegregation efforts in the last several decades. Moss remains a majority-minority school.
"You have to know the history the community has gone through with their schools," Trahan said. "This is the only one they have left."
Board member Mark Cockerham said he supports a temporary closure of the campus.
"We need to fix the problem," he said. "Absolutely I support it. We definitely need to stop it, to see what's going on."
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Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 7:03 am Post subject: Study delays Moss decision Several board members say the
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Study delays Moss decision
Several board members say they want to move ahead with closure
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Devil's Advocate
Joined: 11 Apr 2007
Posts: 233
Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 7:04 am Post subject:
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So now we wait. There's room here for a joke about rolling stones and Moss but....
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abrabj
Joined: 04 Nov 2006
Posts: 36
Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 7:59 am Post subject:
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We know what needs to be done, but.....lets pay someone else to tell us to do it. More wasted money down the drain. There are other schools in the parish in worse condition than Moss. When is the school board going to temporary close them down and repair them? How many inspections have taken place on Moss since it has been built? There is no way something this major all of a sudden came up overnight so to speak.
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PanamaVet
Joined: 28 Aug 2006
Posts: 328
Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 10:27 am Post subject:
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It is refreshing to see open discussion between school board members and the public concerning school conditions and the safety of students.
This is a far cry from what we experienced under the former school board and superintendent. The old way was no information and no discussion.
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When is the school board going to temporary close them down and repair them?
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The school board developed a responsible budget at the beginning of the year and is sticking to it. Another improvement. They are cutting costs and accelerating the grant process so that money is received before the end of the school year.
A plan is being developed to upgrade school infrastructure. The current tax base for the school system is inadequate. A new tax must be seriously considered to rectify the deplorable conditions in our schools. Naysayers are standing on soft ground under a leaking roof sniffing moldy air.
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Nikhil
Joined: 05 Sep 2006
Posts: 324
Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 12:10 pm Post subject:
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At this point, there are no good options. The School Board will have to make a decision and take the heat. People will be angry regardless of the decision.
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NoMoreSchoolMold
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 14
Location: La Mesa, CA
Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 1:05 pm Post subject: Close school, then test independently, and remediate
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The school board, in order to protect the children, must remove them, as quickly as possible (like, now)...
Then, when working on the school or extensive testing, use containment and negative air to ensure that the molds do not become airborne and contaminate the school further.
This is described on www.schoolmoldhelp.org, Information - Remediation page.
SB
Director, Center for School Mold Help
_________________
School Mold Harms America!
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