THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 26, 1995 TAG: 9510240549
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines
PTA officers at Tarrallton Elementary say they are satisfied so far with the administration's response to a parent's complaint about the school's air quality.
``I think they're doing everything that can be done,'' said Karen Salyers, vice president of the PTA and the mother of a mildly asthmatic daughter who attends the school. ``My mind's at rest.''
PTA secretary Kathy Leonard, who has a son at the school, said: ``They seem to be working on it. There are some parents who are very upset and some who just don't seem to care. Some take it way over what it is.''
School officials hired a private company to sample the air shortly after a mother complained that her two second-grade daughters became sick at the school. Their mother, Pat Jackson, said both girls were hospitalized for several days. Jackson said the girls' doctor linked their respiratory problems to breathing mold and mildew in the air. The doctor, however, could not say the school was the source, Jackson said.
Deputy Superintendent Frank Sellew and Rex Gay, senior director of school plant facilities, met with PTA members last week.
``We told them that we didn't know what the problem is or if there is a problem, but we plan to attack it right away if there is one,'' Gay said.
Salyers said she was impressed that the school system hired a consultant.
``That showed me they were concerned about the children and were willing to see if there was a problem and getting it taken care of,'' she said.
Salyers said she has no way of knowing whether her daughter's asthma was affected by the school's air quality.
``It's so hard to tell what causes the different things,'' she said.
The region's high humidity creates a climate for mold and mildew growth. Twelve schools in South Hampton Roads have reported air quality problems, some associated with faulty ventilation and cooling systems.
School officials said that a mold and mildew problem was discovered in the Tarrallton library more than a year ago, but that steps were taken to remedy it. Bill Wood, director of risk management for the schools, said a mildew problem that surfaced in the library last summer cleared up after a malfunctioning air conditioner and a leaky wall pipe were repaired.
Wood estimated the expense of hiring the private company, T-C Analytics, at around $500. The company sampled the school for mold and mildew spores, carbon dioxide, relative humidity and temperature.
Wood said preliminary results indicate that the company found mold growth, but added, ``I don't think that's unusual for our region. If people looked hard enough, they'd see mold in their households.''
Leonard, who said she has seen mold in the school, said the library's air quality has improved since officials recently installed a dehumidifier.
``The feel of the air is a lot better,'' Leonard said.
Test results are expected within the next week.
Jackson said ``a lot of people didn't buy'' reassurances given by administration officials that there was nothing serious to worry about.
``I think there is a problem,'' Jackson said. She said the school is friendly and close knit, and that air quality ``is my only beef. I just want my kids healthy - that's all.'' by CNB