St. East High School

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http://www.copleynewspapers.com/beaconnews/top/a15scmold.htm

SC mold: No quick answers

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By Bicksler STAFF WRITER

Crowded hearing: New experts say they need time to resolve St. East

High School situation

ST. CHARLES - Questions outnumbered answers at Monday's St. board

meeting, where teachers and parents in a nearly filled auditorium begged to

know the future of St. East High School.

Although district officials have set Sept. 4 as a tentative return date

for students and staff, parents asked whether recent tests by AAA

Environmental, which located three kinds of toxic mold, make that date too

ambitious.

Some parents and teachers said they want the building closed altogether.

Other parents, identified by scattered applause, want their teens to be able

return as soon as possible.

Both groups asked for next year's worst-case scenario for the 3,300

students who have shared one building - St. North High School -

since April 16.

St. East principal Nina Narozny said she and St. North

principal Kesman would meet with their staffs Wednesday to draft a

just-in-case plan.

Options, she said, include integrating both high schools into one school

with combined classes; renting temporary units; or sharing rooms in St.

elementary or middle schools. Uppermost on their minds, she said,

will be finding a way to " get back to the demanding standards where we left

off. "

" We are definitely in an emergency situation, and a response had to be

made, although it is not the response everybody hoped for, " Narozny said. " I

share your concern and that will be paramount on our list. "

To combat the host of unknowns, St. administrators have hired two

prominent experts - scientist and engineer Woods, president of the

HP-Woods Research Institute, and microbiologist Philip Morey, vice-president

of Air Services in Atlanta, Ga.

Teams led by these experts will conduct separate investigations and

negotiate their findings as one task force. Woods promised to publish

results every couple of weeks on the district's Web site. He expects AAA

Environmental's results to arrive by the end of May.

With Morey absent due to a last-minute flight cancellation, and

Ligman, a team member, standing in his stead, the bulk of the questions were

directed to Woods, who has been named project manager for resolving the St.

East situation.

Ligman said molds such as aspergillus, penicillium and

stachbotrys - molds identified by AAA as present in St. East

buildings, " are indicators of some type of moisture system. If they are

present in high quantities, that indicates some type of problem with the

building system. "

All water problems must be fixed, Ligman said. Mold that is disinfected

without finding the source of water will recur, he said.

Both groups insisted they would take a scientific approach, doing tests

and awaiting concrete data before reaching conclusions.

" We currently have not formed any opinion about the school, " Ligman said.

" We have not been in the school. We will call it as we see it. If it's good,

we'll call it good. If it's bad, we'll call it bad. If it's in-between,

we'll call it in-between. "

Prior to the meeting, about a dozen St. teachers held large

placards, which they later carried into the meeting, held at an angle so

board members on stage could clearly see them.

" Kudos to Mr. (Clem) Mejia, " one read, in reference to the Kane County

Superintendent's role in closing down East. " District 303 - tell us what you

really know, " read another. " No AAA test results yet, " read a third, and

" Where's the task force? " read a fourth.

Marilyne Flora, a biology teacher who is on leave from St. East

due to Hodgkin's Disease, said she thought her immune system-related disease

was worsened by the mold at St. East. Aspergillus, one of the molds

found at St. East in late March, " is lethal to anyone with a

compromised immune system, " Flora said.

Moreover, Flora said she had students " who were really affected " -

sophomores who switched schools last September " because they couldn't be in

the building. "

" We want to see disclosure of all results, of all the books for the

repair and maintenance done on the building, " Flora said. " We would really

like to see the building closed. "

Woods identified his goal as providing " assurance to parents and students

that the building is safe to occupy after remediation and repair. "

Woods said St. East's problems might be far more complex than

simply air quality, or even mold. His group plans to test for lighting,

acoustics, building design and temperatures as other sources of problems,

such as headaches.

Woods also told board members his team's investigation will incorporate

findings from AAA Environmental, as well as previous surveys, tests and

input from teachers.

When a parent suggested the only solution might be to demolish the

building and start from the ground up, Woods said that his preliminary

walk-through with AAA Environmental staff indicated that probably would not

be necessary.

" We cannot make any certain statements at this time, " Woods said, " but

our goal is to have the school open by the 4th of September. "

05/15/01