Sick School, Sick Kids

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Sick School, Sick Kids

Last Update: 1/20/2006 10:52:07 PM

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(MOBILE, Ala.) January 20 -- Katrina blows through leaving behind

nasty mildew and mold. the problem is, reportedly, growing at the

Old Blount High school. Concerned parents say conditions inside the

school are affecting their children in the classroom.

Mold is being blamed on a high number of absences. Janet Brown says

her daughter has suffered since she moved into the old Blount

High. " She has been sick since September. Everyday she comes home

with headaches. I've had to take her to the doctor. She was put on

medication " , says Brown.

Students are not the only people feeling sick. Parents are too.

Parent and PTO President Reverend Willie Lacy says he feels sick

when he spends an extended period of time in the school. " I, on some

occassions, have come over and spent a portion of a day here and

when I left here...eyes red as a ball of fire " , says Reverend Lacy.

Now, Lacy and other parents are seeing red.

Their students occupy the old Blount, while Vigor is being

renovated. They say they left a building under construction for a

building with health hazards. Facilities Supervisor Tommy Sheffield

says after Katrina, the board of health inspected the old Blount and

found no mold.

Lacy showed NBC 15 documents from the Mobile County Board of Health.

The report, taken months before Vigor moved in, shows mildew...even

a molded toilet in the school that needed replacing. Lacy says

school maintenance did not do the cleaning, the parents cleaned up

the mess.

He says he personally scrubbed molded walls. He says the only work

he is willing to do now is to put pressure on the school system to

clean up the problem. Facilities Planning Supervisor Tommy Sheffield

says his men cleaned up after Katrina and found no mold. He says

they will conduct an indoor air quality test to make sure there

isn't a problem.

How can you tell if your child has been exposed to mold or mildew?

Look for signs of a stuffy nose, eye or skin irritation and

wheezing. More severe reactions include fever, shortness of breath

and asthma attacks. If you notice any of these symptoms, call your

child's doctor.