USDS parents angry they weren’t told about mould

[Guest guest]

USDS parents angry they weren't told about mould

By FRANCES KRAFT

Staff Reporter

North York,ON,Canada

http://www.cjnews.com/viewarticle.asp?id=8960

Parents of children at United Synagogue Day School's Richmond Hill

branch are angry that they were only notified a little more than a

week ago about mould found in two classrooms last fall, and that

junior and senior kindergarten kids in the affected rooms were only

moved elsewhere in the building after parents learned of the problem.

As of last Wednesday, 56 parents had signed a petition circulated

that morning calling for the resignation of the school's board

president, Gales, and head of school Lucy Cohen.

At a meeting that evening, public apologies from Gales, Cohen, and

school administrator Sue Walsh – as well as a promise to repair the

damage over the Passover break – did little to appease parents, who

accused the three of negligence after seeing copies of a Nov. 29

report by consultants Pinchin Environmental Ltd. The report was

commissioned by the school to assess water damage after heavy rains.

The written report included eight recommendations, among them

to " communicate the results " to occupants and the workplace health

and safety committee, to refer sensitive individuals or those with

certain health problems for medical assessment, and to remove and

dispose of the lower four feet of drywall, insulation and vapour

barrier in two offices and two preschool classrooms.

" You did not implement one recommendation that these professionals

made, " said Jonathon Kahane-Rapport, who has two children at the

school, neither of whom is in an affected class. " It's time to go.

You're done… When it comes to the health and safety of our children,

you can't take chances.

" You've got a pregnant receptionist downstairs, " he added.

" You have jeopardized our children's health, " shouted

Flatt, a parent who, ironically, has a business that specializes in

mould removal.

The building, located at Bayview and Weldrick avenues, has been sold

to a developer, and USDS will close the branch after this school

year, which prompted some parents to speculate that that is the

reason the repairs have not been made. The school also has branches

at Beth Tikvah Synagogue and Beth Tzedec Congregation.

Last Friday, a letter from Gales and Cohen was distributed to USDS

parents. It outlined the situation and said the school

is " immediately embarking on changing our procedures, in

consultation with parents " to prevent a recurrence. Parents and

teachers were invited to contact them this week if they want to

become involved.

Remediation work is scheduled for Passover and will be done in

consultation with a " parent [Flatt] experienced in this field, " the

letter stated.

At the meeting, Gales said that, based on conversations with Pinchin

representatives before the written report was received, " our

understanding was that there was a minor amount of mould… and that

in the spring, before Passover, we should have it reassessed. "

" It was our understanding that there was no immediate issue of

safety or concern, " Walsh added.

" When the report came in, it wasn't viewed as seriously [as it would

have been] in terms of going through page by page of the report,

because we had already received a verbal on it, " said Gales.

" We exercised bad judgment, " he admitted.

A Pinchin representative attended the meeting and confirmed that the

extent of the mould was " relatively minor – we'd estimate no more

than 10 to 20 square feet. " It could probably be dealt within a

weekend, he added.

" Nowhere in this report do I see that it can wait four months, " one

angry father said at the meeting.

" My daughter has been coming home for a month with bumps all over

her body, scratching, " said an irate mother, standing up to address

the school representatives. " I'm pumping her full of Benadryl

because I don't know what the cause is. Well, guess what? Now I

know! "

" I have a son with a mould allergy and another son that's had asthma

all year, " yelled another parent. " It's not acceptable. "

Ellin Bessner, who has a son in USDS' senior kindergarten and one in

Beit Rayim Synagogue's afternoon Hebrew school in the same building,

said at the meeting that the Hebrew school " was never told. The

principal found out from me! "

The synagogue rents space from USDS for both its congregation and

its Hebrew school.

Parents demanded to know who was responsible for the decision not to

relay the results of the assessment, and they did not accept Gales'

initial answer of " the school. "

" The three of us are taking responsibility, " Cohen said.

Kulik, who has a six-year-old and a four-year-old at the

school, told Gales, Cohen and Walsh, " I think you have a

responsibility to the parents and the community in general to

present a case to us about why it's reasonable that we should accept

no resignations, no changing of the guard, no shifting of

responsibilities. "

Some parents expressed hesitation about re-enrolling their children

in the school.

" This isn't over, " said Bessner the day after the meeting.

She added Monday morning that, while she appreciates that the work

will be done, " somebody has to be held accountable. "