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Following the mold discovery that led to canceling the first day of classes at Hearst Elementary School, the district has planned a meeting at 6 p.m. tonight for parents interested in learning any new developments and asking questions of the mold specialist.

Mike Noel, president of Millennium Environmental Consulting Associates, held a similar meeting the day after the school closure. In addition to answering questions from parents, Noel outlined the extent of the mold, potential danger levels and measures the school district took to clean the classrooms.

In a letter from Hearst principal Michael Kufhal, he said a remediation plan from Millennium should be available within the week, which would include a timeline for repairs, which is expected to take several months. Kufhal also said they will continue to test the air in occupied rooms and that extra custodial support is available.

Tonight’s meeting will be held at the school’s multipurpose room. The school is located at 5301 Case Ave.

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34 Comments

  1. The presence of dampness alone is now accepted by authorities such as the Institute of Medicine and the World Health Organization, as being associated with health effects such as those described, regardless of the results of mold testing. To read the documentation on this, go to http://www.schoolmoldhelp.org, Resources menu, free to the public.

    We also have a very pertinent article, called District Testing, on our Information -About Testing menu, that details why school districts often deny the presence of mold, with the help of testing, oftentimes, when, in actuality, toxigenic molds are present that are associated with the very health effects complained of. Why? So they do not assume liability. This is an aggregious tactic utilized throughout the United States, in order to avoid litigation from parents and workers comp claims from teachers and school staff, conducted by those who care more about money than the human beings in their care and employ.

    It should also be noted that the building may not necessarily be safe to reoccupy even after renovation. Improper, poorly done, or even well-conducted remediation of a building with extensive leaks can fail and stirs up the molds and mycotoxins within a building moreso than before. Some of these types of buildings must be destroyed. Some of the people within them are already sensitized to the molds so they will then react, increasingly, to minute amounts. There is no safe level established, even small amounts can be a problem.

    As a person made chronically ill to the point of major disability by school mold in several locations – one of which was “renovated and remediated” then ultimately torn down, I encourage all parents to avoid WDB’s – that is, Water-Damaged Buildings. They can be extremely hazardous to your health.

    Under our Resources menu is a Parent Checklist for School Health – with the symptoms of mold-related illness and the building problems that lead to mold.

    We hope our resources are of help and are sorry to hear of yet another damp school that is very likely causing health problems.

  2. What is your take on potential dampness and the Swine flu combined?

    We already know the roof leak and there is moisture/mold “encapsulated” in the ceilings?

    Also, who knows just how much exposure staff and students had last year or prior?

  3. Your website is a PAY site – http://www.schoolmoldhelp.org – call it a donation if you wish but I still have to pay to access any content.

    There’s a lot of money to be made in the government building mold business. I honestly don’t know if you’re (a) a legitimate resource trying to help parents understand the issues surrounding mold and charging a fee to recoup your costs, or (b) if you’re a front for a business that’s making money from local governments who have been hit with a mold problem, or (c) if you simply spent a few hundred dollars to put up a pay website hoping that some number of parents would pay to view.

    Let’s see here, what does your website say…$15 gets me access for 30 days. Seems like a lot of cash to just recoup your costs. Oh, I can pay just $5 and get access for 24 hours.

    I’m betting (c). There are plenty of sites geared towards educating parents about dangers to their kids, that are full of content, and available 24×7 without a fee.

    Good luck to you.

  6. We all know mold lives in colonies or “societies”. Societies often use a form of government referred to as “socialism”. We all know Obama wants to turn the US into a “socialist” country. So, it is clear to me that Obama is trying to indoctrinate our children by spreading socialist mold in our schools.

  8. @ Patriot Liberal – Dude, REALLY? Lighten up a bit, it’s called “humor”. I realize many from the right side of the aisle are somewhat humor impaired, but to personally attack me for posting a silly parody of some of the tripe that gets posted on this forum almost everyday, is patently ridiculous. Sheesh, get a grip.

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