Moldy Air Cuts Into Inmates' Classes

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Published Saturday, March 18, 2006

SCHOOL CLOSED

Moldy Air Cuts Into Inmates' Classes

Students and staff at juvenile detention facility in Polk report

persistent problems.

By Crouse

The Ledger

Lakeland,FL

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?

AID=/20060318/NEWS/603180413/1039

POLK CITY -- A myriad of air quality issues have forced the Polk

County School District to indefinitely close the school at a

juvenile detention center in Polk City.

Sabal Palm, an alternative school located at the Polk Juvenile

Correctional Facility, has not held class since March 3.

A leaky roof, faulty plumbing and a shoddy air conditioner have

created such a moist environment that the mold count is too high to

safely continue class, said Dennis Higgins, the district's senior

director for alternative education.

" I couldn't in good faith not make the recommendation to take out

our teachers, " he said.

The correctional facility is a detention center with a mental health

component. It houses 205 inmates, age 14 through 21, most of whom

were repeat felony offenders from throughout the state.

The Polk School Board provides the school with 33 teachers, staff

and administrators for the school.

About 19 of the 33 filed workers' compensation claims in February,

most citing respiratory problems caused by mold in the building.

Two weeks ago, Higgins pulled all of his staff out of the school

because he said the air quality was too poor to give teachers a safe

working environment.

The district hired an environmental consultant to test the air

quality of the buildings. The results should be available next week,

Higgins said.

This isn't the first time the school has been closed.

A year ago, the school shut down for two months for a similar air

quality concern.

" This is such a pervasive problem, " Higgins said. " The Department of

Juvenile Justice simply fails to adequately monitor or maintain

their facilities. "

A MOLDY MESS

The Department of Juvenile Justice contracts with Group 4 Securicor

Youth Services (G4S) to manage the school. The company also runs

seven other detention sites, including Avon Park Youth Academy in

South Polk.

G4S is in charge of providing the guards, medical staff and general

maintenance, said Morgenthau, the company's chief operating

officer.

G4S staff does janitorial work like cleaning and changing light

bulbs as well as fixing toilets and replacing ceiling tiles.

The big problems -- like a chronically leaking roof, blown water

heaters and boilers, and faulty air conditioners -- are left up to

the Juvenile Justice Department for fixing, he said.

The Polk Juvenile Correctional Facility is painted orange and blue.

Students' dormitories have murals. There is a recreation room with

an Xbox and basketball courts.

The entire facility is fenced in with razor wire and closely

monitored with security cameras.

Sabal Palm is located inside one of the five buildings that make up

the complex. The other buildings house the dormitories, cafeteria

and administration.

District employees paint a bleak picture of the air quality and

water leaks.

Caldwell, a transition specialist who worked with the

Sabal inmates, said she couldn't leave her paperwork in her Sabal

Palm office.

She toted her files to and from school in briefcases and boxes so

that they wouldn't mold overnight.

The office regularly flooded because of flawed plumbing and frequent

roof leaks. The air conditioning system caused condensation on the

walls and worked irregularly in different rooms.

G4S placed two dehumidifiers in the school's office, but Caldwell

said they weren't enough.

She said papers left in file cabinets or on the desk became so moist

that they stuck together and, at times, grew a layer of green and

furry mold.

Then, she said, there was the smell.

A moldy miasma filled the hallways, offices and buildings.

" It was that funky, nose-burning smell of mold and mildew, " she said.

Friday afternoon, the Sabal Palm offices were humid and slightly

musty. The rooms were clean and a distinct smell of disinfectant

carried throughout the detention center's buildings. Papers hanging

on the walls and in cabinets didn't seem to be damp.

In the hallways -- one of the leakiest spots -- water-stained

ceiling tiles had been torn down, and the walls were freshly painted.

A QUESTION OF MONEY

Banks, the facility administrator for G4S, said the state sent

workers to evaluate the roof and began to fix it.

Juvenile Justice spokeswoman Lorenzo said the department

hasn't had the $5 million necessary to overhaul the facility. In the

meantime, workers have temporarily plugged leaks and replaced tiles.

Once a building's waterproof barrier is breached, mold will grow,

said Bob , the district's assistant superintendent of

facilities and operations.

The only way to get it out again is to replace the roof or fix it

and clean so thoroughly not a single speck remains, he said.

The department cleaned and replaced carpets when the school shut

down last year.

But after a rainy summer and a wet February, the mold problems

skyrocketed.

Higgins said he's tired of quick-fixes and temporary patches.

" You get excuse after excuse, " he said. " You get cosmetics and cover-

ups, delays and shifting the blame until things come to a crescendo. "

He hopes that with 33 teachers and staff out of the building, the

problem has peaked.

The Juvenile Justice Department has asked the state for $19 million

this year to fix problems at many of its facilities. If the money is

granted, Lorenzo said Sabal Palm will get the overhaul it needs.

They began emergency repairs Thursday to get kids back in class as

soon as possible, she said.

But said the temporary measures won't make the mold go away.

Mold growth and spores aggravate allergies and can lead to severe

respiratory problems.

Caldwell said she developed a hacking cough and lost her voice when

she worked at the school for more than two days in a row. Caldwell

divides her time among several schools in the district.

At least six district staff members have been documented as having a

severe respiratory problem because of the mold, Higgins said.

MISSING SCHOOL

Teachers also reported to Higgins that students have complained of

constant headaches, coughs, dripping noses and rashes.

CINDY SKOP/THE LEDGER

Banks of G4S stands near damaged ceiling tiles that show

evidence of a leaky roof.

But G4S reports fewer medical problems with students this year than

in previous years, said Morgenthau, the company executive.

Teachers say that's because the school nurse told them not to let

sick students out of class or go to the clinic.

Banks, G4S's facility administrator, said it's a simple

misunderstanding of the clinic procedure.

Unless it's an emergency, students are admitted to the clinic after

they've filled out a complaint form. Then the medical staff checks

them out at a certain time. Until their appointment, she said,

students remain in class.

Any nurse who refuses to see a sick child immediately would be fired

from G4S, Morgenthau said.

When the school shut down in 2005, inmates received about two hours

of instruction a day. Currently, they are getting no instruction

because district employees won't come to the campus.

Banks said the inmates are doing their usual group therapy and

recreational activities, such as basketball and volleyball. They

also are preparing for today's Family Day, a once-a-quarter event

when families are allowed to visit for the whole day.

But the inmates said they miss class.

Several are close to finishing high school or have applied for their

GEDs and awaiting results.

Rajiv G., 17, said he's learned more at Sabal Palm than anywhere

else. (Because the inmates are minors and wards of the state, their

names have been shortened.)

The classes are small, and the teachers are dedicated, said Stanley

G., 18. He passed his FCAT for the first time this year while in

Sabal Palm.

" I wish we could take this school and drop it on the outside, " said

Brad C., 17.

Crouse can be reached at julia.crouse@... or 863-802-

7536.