Kings schools share details on air quality

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Cincinnati.Com Kings schools share details on air quality

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Last Updated: 6:10 pm | Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Kings schools share details on air quality

BY MICHAEL D. CLARK | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

DEERFIELD TWP. - Kings school officials say they need to do a better

job communicating about the air quality problems at the district's

high school.

So Kings Superintendent Mason on Tuesday held the school

system's first press conference on recently compiled plans to

overhaul the school's 17-year-old heating and cooling system, which

has caused poor ventilation and periodic mold, humidity and odor

problems since 2001.

Preliminary testing last fall showed some areas of high carbon

dioxide in parts of Kings High School; and testing in February

showed more classrooms in the 1,100-student school had high levels

of the gas. Carbon dioxide at the levels found in parts of the

school are alone not dangerous, but rather are indicative of the

presence of inadequate ventilation and other air contaminants,

officials say.

Mason credited a group of parents and residents for calling for more

air testing last fall and prompting district officials to eventually

pay for more testing and later bring in the Ohio Department of

Health and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

to review those test results.

Mason said officials from the state health department " recommended

that we do a better job communicating " with parents, students and

staff.

Earlier this month, state and federal health officials endorsed the

Kings plan to renovate the school's ventilation system during the

summer.

Mason said if federal officials determined that students and

employees were in danger, then Kings officials would have acted

differently. " If they would have told us to shut down the school, we

would have shut it down, " he said.

A small group of Kings residents said the press conference, and a

policy of limiting speakers to three minutes at school board

meetings, have been woefully inadequate for those with questions and

concerns about the students' health.

Former Kings Board of Education member Barbara Wilders said she give

district officials an " F " for their actions to date, " mostly for the

way they have handled the communications and they are not listening

to us. "

Wilders and parent Robin , who has withdrawn her son from the

high school and blames his health problems on the building's air

quality, have formed the Kings Environmental Task Force, which has

called for more air testing.

disagreed with federal officials' assessment that further

testing is unnecessary. " We deserve explanations and answers, " she

said.

E-mail mclark@...