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CONTINUED
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10/08/2003 Lawsuits
Target Mold in Broward County Schools |
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by Jamie Malernee, Education
Writer |
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He's been healthy ever since, she
said.
On Friday, Aliseo spoke out about the mold problems as one of
18 parties to file lawsuits against the Broward County School
District.
Filed on behalf of 13 students and seven employees, the
lawsuits allege Riverside and Indian Trace elementary schools
were more than just petri dishes for the "black snow" and
sludge the grew inside walls and blew through the air
conditioning systems. They allege the Coral Springs and Weston
schools were not only defectively built and maintained, but
that officials ignored the problems for years and, when they
were finally forced to fix things, remediation efforts were
shoddy and in some cases made things worse.
"I was told the School Board would not keep children in a
place that was not safe," Aliseo recalls when she first began
to question the connection between her son's symptoms and
Riverside. "But since the day he left, he has not taken a
single antibiotic."
Lawyers for Aliseo and other parents say the 18 lawsuits filed
in Broward Circuit Court are only the "first wave" of mold
litigation to hit the district following a scathing grand jury
report released in May. The report renounced the district's
handling of mold issues and all but invited parents and
workers to seek damages for their exposure and concurrent
health problems, which include nose bleeds, respiratory
infections, rashes, chronic cough and the lost sense of taste.
Also named in the suit are Superintendent Frank Till and the
School Board, as well as architects, engineers, roofers,
contractors, mold remediation experts and clean-up workers
associated with the schools.
"Each day that goes by, we receive additional phone calls. We
suspect this is a Broward County-wide problem with Broward
County-wide ramifications," said Boca Raton attorney Scott
Gelfand.
School district officials declined comment on any litigation
but acknowledged past bungled attempts to address the mold
problems, which are common in Florida's climate. Spokesman Joe
Donzelli said new administrators have put better procedures in
place to address concerns, have revamped Riverside Elementary,
and are investing millions of dollars to properly clean other
campuses and restore parents' trust.
"Unfortunately we can't turn back time, and we can't make
excuses for past district officials who promised things and
didn't deliver," Donzelli said. "Now we have to keep moving
forward, keep looking to the future."
But mother Mary Macfie, one of those suing the district, isn't
about to let bygones be bygones.
"My 16-year-old had uncontrolled vomiting, swollen eyes and
face to the point where she could not see. The migraines would
keep her locked up in her room in the dark. We were bringing
in my daughter from the emergency room because she was so
dehydrated," she said.
Her daughter missed large chunks of school. Macfie says she
called school and health officials trying to get help, testing
for mold, anything. Instead, she received a letter in the mail
saying if her child missed any more school, Macfie could be
charged with a misdemeanor for failing to get her in class.
Now, Macfie acknowledges, administrators say they want to
improve things. Half of Indian Trace Elementary has been shut
down this fall for mold remediation, and Superintendent Frank
Till came out on the first day of school to eat peanut butter
sandwiches with students who were not allowed in the infested
cafeteria and had to eat outside. The media was invited out,
shooting video and pictures of Till smiling with the children.
Macfie was not impressed.
"Where was he the last three years when I've been calling
him?" she said.
In addition to seeking "major monetary damages" for pain and
suffering, medical expenses and future medical monitoring, the
lawsuits ask for an injunction against the school district,
requiring it to meet all 31 improvement recommendations listed
in the scathing grand jury report.
School officials say most of those recommendations have
already been met voluntarily. All should be in place by the
end of 2004.
Some of the problems haven't been an issue for years, since
the district stopped reusing Riverside's problematic roof
design, which included decorative cupolas that sent water
pouring into the schools, creating an ideal condition for mold
growth. Bad air conditioners added to moist conditions. At one
point, workers cleaned out the mold but did not fix the
leaking roof. When it rained, the mold returned. After the
roof was replaced, crews ripped out walls, but didn't cover
the area with plastic sheeting, contaminating other areas.
Angry, Till ordered a total do-over. This summer, workers
removed 40 percent of the walls, those with bad or even
unclear air quality. Although it took years and millions of
dollars, officials now use Riverside as an example of their
commitment to do better.
"It's night and day. That school, for all intents and
purposes, is a new school," Donzelli said. "The way we can
rebuild trust [with parents] is to do things the way we've
done them at Riverside."
The only problem?
There's been plenty of rain lately, and Aliseo has been
keeping a close eye on Riverside's roof. "Last week," she
said, "it leaked."
Staff Writer Bill Hirschman contributed to this report.
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For more information contact:
Alan L. Wozniak, CIAQP
(800) 422-7873 ext. 802
info@pureaircontrols.com
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