Report: Mold found in main school office, nurse’s office
Last Updated on Friday, 20 January 2012 17:16 Written by Alex Davis Friday, 20 January 2012 15:45
MIDDLE TOWNSHHIP – The exact source of mold at Middle Township Elementary School No. 1 has not been determined, says Superintendent Michael J. Kopakowski.
In December, a Somerdale company found mold in 34 rooms at the school, including the main office and nurse’s office. During the district’s winter break, a mold remediation company based in
This week, the Board of Education released air and surface quality testing results to parents and the media. The delay in providing information had been because the district wanted to give accurate information, Kopakowski said.
“Correcting the moisture source is crucial to avoiding a reoccurrence” of mold, according to an initial testing report. “The two apparent contributing moisture sources were from leaks and surface condensation.”
“We are going to continue to monitor it [the mold],” Kopakowski said during a Board of Education meeting Thursday, Jan. 19.
School board vice president Dennis Roberts indicated that students would not be in the classrooms if recent test results showed a problem still existed.
Much of the mold situation deals with uncleanliness, he said.
School district staff members noticed mold in two classrooms, according to a report by Quality Air Specialists. The company conducted the initial mold reports Dec. 13.
At a December school board meeting, one parent said her child had developed pneumonia from attending the school at
Quality Air Specialists looked at 44 classrooms, the library, gym, all-purpose room, nurse and main offices and miscellaneous storage and custodial areas. The preschool annex was also examined for mold.
One of the classrooms, labeled as No. 6 in the report, contained “airborne spore levels that warrant precautions.” In the report, the company also stated that the room should not be used until remediation efforts took place.
Among classrooms that had mold were No. 3 on laminated chart and underneath a table; No. 6 on a corkboard, block wall and dehumidifier front grill; No. 8 on wood paneling above student coat area; No. 21 underneath front-corner table; No. 24 underneath sink and inside cabinet and door; No. 25 on cork strip; and No. 27 on underneath rug.
In classroom 32, mold had been found on corkboards, top edge of a closet and some window shades. In its report, the company pointed out “Possible mold on ceiling tiles – smeared appearance (prior attempt at cleaning?).”
Besides classrooms, mold had been detected on some ceiling tiles in main office and workroom, and underneath vinyl furniture in the nurse’s office. In the principal’s office, mold has been found behind picture frames, underneath the desk, inside a cabinet and the back of furniture. Mold had also been found under urinals in the boys’ restroom.
In its report, Quality Air Specialists reported that books, papers and other materials on top of or in front of unit ventilators prevented airflow, and some unit ventilators failed to work properly.
Paul Davis Emergency Services, which has an office in
Middle Township Elementary School No. 1 was constructed in the 1960s, according to the report by Quality Air Specialists.
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