Legislators Tour Moldy School In Potomac

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Legislators Tour Moldy School In Potomac

Officials: Findings Are Shocking, Disconcerting

POSTED: 6:09 pm EDT April 3, 2006

UPDATED: 8:27 pm EDT April 3, 2006

http://www.nbc4.com/news/8445205/detail.html

POTOMAC, Md. -- land state legislators got a first-hand look

Monday at the moldy portables of a Potomac elementary school.

Two portable buildings at Bell Mills Elementary School have been

condemned because of mold contamination.

Some teachers and students at the school have gotten sick this

school year, according to health officials. Some believe the

sicknesses are because of the mold problem.

Now, legislators say they want the state to create uniform standards

for portables.

Delegate Feldman said the mold represents both a physical and

symbolic blight on the school system. " I think this can be a

launching pad for a broader conversation about the role of portables

in our county. "

The lawmakers feel that the mold issue cannot be dealt with until

the problem of portables is addressed. They said the overcrowding

that makes portables necessary and the sometimes-haphazard way they

are acquired and installed needs to be examined.

There are currently no uniform standards on portable classrooms and

their use.

Sen. Rob Garagiola has a bill on portable classroom going before the

state Senate. He said laws on the way portables are purchased,

ventilation and material standards need to go into effect as soon as

possible.

Many parents said the attention the school got on Monday was a small

victory because any long-term solution is most-likely years in the

making. Parents also want the state to deal with overcrowding issues

at the school.