Patriot Ledger: Mold won't delay start of school: Hull

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_LOCAL NEWS_ (http://ledger.southofboston.com/news/)

Mold won’t delay start of school year, says official: Cleanup of Hull school

expected to finish Aug. 30

Sign on a door at s Elementary School.

By EMILIE RAGUSO

The Patriot Ledger

s Elementary School in Hull is slated to open Sept. 5, but menacing

signs around the building warn that the property isn’t quite ready.

‘‘No staff are allowed in any classroom for any reason until further

notice. The first and second floor are closed,’’ reads one such poster,

signed by

school Principal Joyal.

Though the signs are explicit, the reason that the building is off-limits is

hidden under thick plastic, which seals off five of the school’s classrooms

in a first-floor wing where kindergarten and first-grade classes usually meet.

On July 20, a school custodian noticed white specks on carpets in the rooms.

He alerted school administrators, who set up humidifiers, then immediately

called in reinforcements - Oasis Environmental Services of Cohasset - to

analyze the evidence.

Oasis tested the white dust July 21 and, within about 10 days, the diagnosis

was in: mold spores.

Hull Schools Superintendent a DeLaney called the classrooms, which had

been closed for summer, a ‘‘breeding ground’’ for mold because of the

heavy

rains and high heat that hit Hull earlier in the summer.

She is confident that a safe, sterilized s will open in time for the

new school year, she said. On Aug. 7, workers for a company called Hazardous

Abatement Service donned protective gear and began cleaning desks, ceiling

tiles and furniture. Carpets and curtains will be thrown away because they’re

so

difficult to clean. In the future, the floors in s Elementary will be

bare to protect against mold.

The whole project will cost about $30,000, DeLaney said. Hull school

officials are still waiting for word from the district’s insurance company

about

what, if anything, insurance will cover. The remainder will come from the $13

million school budget for the fiscal year that began July 1, DeLaney said.

‘‘It’s a financial impact, not a panic situation by any means,’’ she

said.

‘‘We’re taking the advice of experts and handling the situation as

expeditiously as possible to keep the kids safe.’’

Schools in several South Shore communities - Pembroke, Plymouth, Kingston,

Hingham and Plympton - have faced mold problems in recent years. Rugs and

ceiling tiles are some of the hotbeds for spore growth.

About 520 students attend s Elementary School. The school department is

undertaking a $27.9 million renovation project to build a new cafeteria, a

full-sized gymnasium, and add classrooms at the school. The budget for the

renovation was just finalized and approved by the town in June.

As long as nothing unexpected comes up, like more mold or more serious

conditions, the cleanup crew is expected to be done by Aug. 30, says

Twombly, the director of operations for Hull Public Schools.

The school sent a letter to parents around Aug. 4 explaining the situation.

Superintendent DeLaney says that several parents whose children are allergic

to mold called her with concerns. For the most part, though, she said there

hasn’t been a huge outcry from the community.

Bill Tramontana, who has children in fourth grade, first grade and

kindergarten at s, says he is definitely concerned. The school’s letter,

however,

reassured him that the district was managing the situation responsibly.

‘‘They said they're clearing the situation up and they're doing the best

they can,’’ he said. ‘‘I just hope they take the proper measures to

take the

mold out of the schools.’’

Copyright 2006 The Patriot Ledger

Transmitted Thursday, August 17, 2006