Young Elementary School

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5-28-99

School Faces Air Quality Problems

(SACO) -- Environmental problems may be plaguing a middle school in Saco.

Recently some students at the Young School complained of respiratory

problems. As a precaution, all students have been removed from a suspected

problem-area for the rest of the school year. Next week, state environmental

officials will inspect the building.

http://www.journaltribune.com/todaystorieswed.html

School health ills to be probed

Complaints prompt shutdown of portion of Young School

May 26, 1999

By GISELLE GOODMAN

Journal Tribune Staff Writer

SACO - School officials Tuesday said they would indefinitely close part of

Young School while they investigate whether the building is making people

sick.

The Tasker Street elementary school's north wing will be shut as soon as

Friday because of complaints by students and teachers.

Teachers and 98 students from four classrooms will be affected by the

shutdown, which administrators said will begin as soon they can reroute

buses. The library and computer lab will also be closed.

Two classes will be placed in the Young School gymnasium. The other two

classes, including a special education class, will be moved to Fairfield

School. Students and teachers will not return to their Young School

classrooms before at least the last day of school, June 16.

The action announced by Superintendent Gerald Clockedile and endorsed by

School Committee members Tuesday night came in response to parent complaints

about the health of students in that wing of the 42-year-old school.

Although air quality tests in January and in 1997 have not shown significant

health threats, committee Chairman Ron Morton said the complaints are too

substantial to ignore.

Parents have said their children are experiencing coughs, runny noses, itchy

eyes, stomach aches, lethargy and rashes.

Ed Higgins said his first-grade daughter Emma has been sick for weeks and he

is convinced her illness is due to the environment in her school.

" School is supposed to be a safe place to go, " he said. " My opinion is it's

not. "

His wife, Beth, said Emma's condition clears up when she is out of school

for any length of time.

" It's horrible sending her in there everyday, " Beth Higgins said, weeping.

" These kids shouldn't have to keep going to school and getting sick there. "

Teachers who spoke at the meeting said they have been experiencing the same

symptoms. The issue has stumped the School Department.

" We've been trying to isolate the causes, " Clockedile said. " To date we have

not been able to identify the causes. "

He said an air quality test conducted in 1997 did not raise any red flags.

" We do not have air quality problems at Young School based on the tests that

were taken, " Clockedile said at that time.

Mold spores tested barely higher than outdoor levels in all rooms but one on

April 30, he said today, but levels of carbon dioxide were higher than

normal in January when windows were shut tight.

Morton said the department did not act sooner because there were only

isolated complaints from parents until about three weeks ago. Since then, he

said, the state has been asked to investigate.

Clockedile said the head of the state Safety and Environmental Services

Department will be at Young School by next week to inspect the rooms and

suggest what steps to take. He also said the School Department is planning

to hire a company to clean and sanitize the rooms.

Board member Pat Beaudoin said she supports the immediate action, and asked

parents for patience as school officials work through the bus schedule.

She also said something more permanent must be done before school begins

again in September.

" This isn't the perfect solution, " she said. " Please understand that what

we're doing is extremely difficult. But the children's safety is most

important. "

In Arundel, where portions of the Mildred L. Day School have been closed

this year while unhealthy levels of mold spores and carbon dioxide are

resolved and other repairs are made, corrections are costing $1.2 million.

Morton said it is too early to tell how much Saco may have to spend to fix

Young School.