Washington State School Board Meeting Parents Call For Ombudsman

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In a message dated 3/9/2006 9:37:47 PM Pacific Standard Time, VERRYTRD

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Thursday, March 9, 2006

Health, safety plan for schools is 'unacceptable'

Teachers, parents say mold, lead aren't addressed

By _JULIE DAVIDOW_ (mailto:juliedavidow@...)

P-I REPORTER

OLYMPIA -- Teachers and parents on Wednesday criticized a draft plan to

improve school health and safety rules, calling it a " toothless feel-good

policy "

that does little to address concerns about mold on the walls, lead in the

water and other environmental toxins that have left children and teachers sick

across the state.

About a dozen teachers and parents told members of the state Board of Health

that the draft -- the first attempt to revise school health and safety rules

in 30 years -- is unacceptable.

" What is needed is a state-level policy with some teeth, " said

Femiano, a first-grade teacher at Arbor Heights Elementary School in Seattle

who

alerted school officials about mold in his classroom months before any action

was taken.

The draft, which was presented at the board meeting, contains provisions

requiring schools to test for lead and develop plans for responding to mold --

both policies would be firsts.

anne Guichard, director of the state's Office of Environmental Health &

Safety, said similar requirements to test drinking water for copper and

cadmium were left out of the draft because lead seems to be " more of a

widespread

problem. "

Mark , a parent and longtime advocate for lead testing in schools,

said the omission was an example of the department's disregard for the

recommendations submitted by an advisory committee that met for months to

develop

plans for the draft.

was the parent representative on the School Rule Development

Committee.

The draft represents a " betrayal of public trust, " told board members.

Guichard said every effort was made to incorporate the committee's input.

Limited budgets and a shortage of trained local public health staff make

enforcing health and safety rules in schools a challenge, she said.

" We want to be protective for children but we also want to be realistic

about the resources available to schools " and public health departments,

Guichard

said.

But by leaving the testing and cleanup to school officials, the department

is advocating the status quo -- a system that lacks accountability and

oversight, said Arthur, a fifth grade teacher in the Issaquah School

District.

" Guidelines simply aren't enough to keep us safe, " said Arthur, who said

that his wife, also a teacher, developed

a serious fungal infection after exposure to mold at a school in the

Highline School District where she taught for 13 years.

Several speakers, including , called for an ombudsman position to be

created in the Attorney General's office that would allow parents and teachers

to take their complaints and concerns to an outside party.

" You can't ask a risk management (official) from a school district to

respond in an appropriate manner, " said Aspelund, who said her son's

exposure to mold at Hale High School left him with a compromised immune

system.

Board member VanDusen asked staff to research whether the ombudsman

proposal is possible.

Parents and teachers also said their concerns have been repeatedly

downplayed by school officials who attribute their complaints to hysteria or

other

mental health problems.

" There is no evidence of that, " said Harriet Ammann, a toxicologist with the

Air Quality Program at the state Department of Ecology. " It is essential to

listen to the occupants of the building. "

The draft also requires school officials to keep records of testing results

and make them available to the public.

A dozen workshops to solicit public comment on the draft proposal have been

scheduled this month around the state. The first two are being held today in

Wenatchee and Spokane. The Seattle meeting will be 7 to 9 p.m. March 16 at

Mercer Middle School, 1600 S. Columbian Way.

A final draft is expected by July, Guichard said.

In addition to indoor air quality and drinking water, the draft calls for

inspections of playground equipment and soil testing.

For Sara Cramer, the attention to school health hazards is long overdue. In

1993, her 9-year-old son Brainerd became ill after his school on

Bainbridge Island used a toxic solvent to remove floor tiles that contained

asbestos.

Within days of exposure to the solvent, the bubbly fourth-grader developed

severe stomach cramps that left him curled up in pain on the couch. He slept

up to 18 hours a day and lost seven pounds in five months.

In November, after years of suffering from the depression and alienation

caused by his diagnosis of multiple chemical sensitivity disorder, Brainerd

committed suicide at the age of 22.

" They just said 'Oh, it's safe. It's safe' A year and a half later, a bunch

of students and teachers were sick, " said Cramer.

" I would like some other agency to be in charge of deciding when a school is

unsafe. "

This report includes material from P-I archives. P-I reporter ow

can be reached at 206-448-8180 or _juliedavidow@..._

(mailto:juliedavidow@...) .