Video School district calls News 4 mold story 'inaccurate'

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a Heartquist Reports

News 4 continues probe of reported mold problem at school

Sep 19, 2006 07:25 AM EDT

News 4 continues probe of reported mold problem at school

Also on kvoa.com

KVOA Tucson Tue, 19 Sep 2006 5:42 AM PDT

School district calls News 4 mold story 'inaccurate'

Employees say school's mold problem worse than acknowledged

http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=5426343 & nav=menu216_3

School district calls News 4 mold story 'inaccurate'

News 4's investigation of a moldy mess at a Catalina Foothills

Elementary School.

The district... while not commenting on allegations of long-time

mold problems at Ventana Vista Elementary School... called our

recent report inaccurate in a letter to parents.

News 4 is doing our best to uncover the truth.

We've tried for days to get a response from the district... our

story prompted them... to send out the letter.

Monday... we asked parents if they saw it... and what they think.

The letter, sent home to parents on Friday... says the district is

addressing problems caused by this summer's monsoon.

But now four district employees tell News 4 there have been major

mold problems, at Ventana Vista Elementary for years before all the

recent rain.

The district, while refusing to comment... called our report... in

the letter to parents, 'inaccurate' and 'misleading.'

The letter does not explain how we were inaccurate and misleading...

and district officials still refuse to return our phone calls.

Since our story aired on Friday... the same day the letter was sent

home to parents... they've had the weekend to look at it- we wanted

to know what they thought about.

" This is the first I've heard about it and of course I would be

concerned if I heard about it but for me, I have no basis to base

that on, " said mother Kay Dean.

Most parents we talked to hadn't seen the letter... or said it

looked like the school was taking care of the problem.

" They've got a great staff working there and I'm sure if there's a

situation that comes up it'll get taken care of, " says mother

Murrieta.

But it was staff members who contacted News 4 for to tell us about

what they say is an " out of control " mold problem.

They say while the letter refers to the district taking care

of " ...recent water damage... " and " ...water damaged material... "

It never mentions the word, mold.

After only a few interviews... the school's principal called the

Pima County Sheriff's Department... but a deputy told us we were

fine to stay on the street corner as long as we didn't block traffic.

The principal still refused talk to us directly.

Since no one at the school or district will talk to us... we sent

out public records' requests to the district to find out whether or

not there was a problem with mold at the school prior to this year.

As soon as we know... we'll let you know