03/05/08 - "I don't think they looked into the water problem," Mina Bibeault said. "We've put up with a lot and they've put our kids at risk."

Hamilton Avenue School student Courtney Roina, 6, joins other students and parents protesting outside the Board of Education in central Greenwich
(Bob Luckey Jr./Staff photo)

Was it maintenance or design flaws?

Greenwich Time, CT

By Martin B. Cassidy

After the sudden closing of Hamilton Avenue School after the discovery of mold throughout temporary classrooms, Mina Bibeault wondered if the Board of Education missed a chance to tackle the contamination with routine maintenance.

Bibeault, who has two children at the school, said there had been complaints earlier in the year about water leaking into the building, well before the investigation of a roof leak in a fifth-grade classroom last week found the mold problem....

... "This is about me getting a call on Saturday that my children will not be able to go to school on Monday," said Hector Ruiz, a former co-president of the school's PTA.

Exposure to toxic allergens produced by mold can trigger respiratory and sinus infections, skin irritation, and more severe respiratory conditions in the young and those with weakened immune systems, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Whether and how soon the modulars on the campus of Western Middle School could be opened again depends on a variety of factors, a town health official and building professionals said.

Mold, which is a fungus, grows faster in warmer temperatures, but also spreads if moisture, oxygen and organic matters are available, they said.

The extent of the mold growth in the school is still unknown, but condensation found within the walls and roof areas of the building this weekend raise serious health questions, said Michael Long, director of Greenwich Department of Health's environmental services division....

MORE:

03/05/08 - The Joke Of The Day - "I'll hold the staff accountable," Superintendent of Schools Betty Sternberg promised. - Yeah Right.

03/04/08 - First Selectman Peter Tesei promised to address the issue of accountability later on.

03/03/08 - Parents Bring Protest To The "Oldie Moldie" School Administrators

03/02/08 - Another Administrative Screw Up - "They let it happen again. Shame on them. They should be fired," said Laura Dibella past PTA president.

02/28/08 - Greenwich Children Left Behind

02/27/08 - Once Again Failed Greenwich School Administrators Take Care Of Thier Own

02/27/08 - Greenwich Taxpayers Pay Through The Nose As Administrators Mismanage The Greenwich Public School System

02/27/08 - School Board Coverup? - Are Displaced Hamilton Avenue Students Getting Rained On?