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Oak Ridge school teachers protest air quality

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

(Updated 11:35 am)

By J. Brian Ewing
Staff Writer

OAK RIDGE — Half of the teachers at Oak Ridge Elementary School took their classes outside for about two hours Tuesday to protest what they consider to be environmental problems at the school.

Seventeen of the 34 teachers held lessons outside to show frustration at how county school and health officials are handling their concerns over air-quality problems.

One teacher said colleagues decided Friday to go outside to send a message to system officials. Being outside, the teacher said, is safer than being inside.

That teacher, who declined to be named for fear their job could be jeopardized for speaking publicly, said many of the Oak Ridge staff felt system administrators and county health officials were not being transparent in addressing the issue. School and health department officials told teachers and parents in a meeting last week they would keep communication open.

Students and staff have complained of illnesses since 2005, after a renovation of the school. Reported symptoms included bleeding from the eyes and nose, respiratory problems, headaches and sore throat.

Mold has been found twice in the past four years, most recently in April. The system has spent nearly $600,000 to try to resolve the issue. Air quality tests performed by an industrial hygiene company hired by the district found nothing abnormal, school officials say.

The Guilford County health department sent a mechanical engineer to inspect the school and the heating and air-conditioning system Monday.

Neither the Guilford County Schools system nor the health department described the findings. The department has not recommended closing the school.

Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green did not directly address the teachers’ protest in a statement Tuesday night. He said the issue remained a concern.

“We understand that staff members and parents are very concerned about the Oak Ridge facility,” Green said. “We are as well.”

A page will be added to the system’s Web site, www.gcsnc.com, by Thursday to keep parents informed.

The teacher who participated in the action Tuesday said classes were held normally and curriculum requirements were met.

Students were not in class on Memorial Day. They took end-of-course tests last week, though a few students are making up those tests this week.

A few parents picked up children early Tuesday. Students must attend for at least half the day to be counted present.

Sandra Beeson-Grose picked up her second-grader, Casey, about noon. She said she would likely pull him out early until the end of the year, June 15.

“I’m just very upset with the way things are going. The kids are really sick,” she said.

Researchers have walked through the school and reviewed the air quality test results from the school system. Officials are writing a survey to send home with students to gain more information from parents on their health issues.

Contact J. Brian Ewing at 373-7351 or brian.ewing@news-record.com

Accompanying Photos

Nelson Kepley

Photo Caption: Oak Ridge Elementary School.

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Get A Clue

May 26, 2009 - 11:02 am EDT

A clever response to a serious problem. Kudos to the faculty!

bigwill

May 26, 2009 - 11:30 am EDT

What happens if it rains?

justaguy46

May 26, 2009 - 11:31 am EDT

It sounds like Legionnaires' disease. Bacteria that has accumulated in AC coils and released in the air.

Panacea

May 26, 2009 - 6:35 pm EDT

If that were true, we'd have a lot of dead kids.

EGParent

May 26, 2009 - 12:46 pm EDT

KUDOS Teachers!!

Parents at Oak Ridge I would pull my student out for the rest of the year and support the teachers that are willing to put their job on the line for your student's health.....If EOC's are over...there will be no problem just pull your kids out of the school and tell them why....

whyus

May 26, 2009 - 1:26 pm EDT

I believe part of the problem is the Principal's lack of timely and aggressive attention to this issue. My children went to Oak Ridge and we were very unimpressed how Ms. Kraft handled herself in various scenarios not nearly as severe as this.

TmV83

May 26, 2009 - 6:23 pm EDT

Its sad that when a teacher has a relationship with a student it is front page news, on magazines, etc - degrading the profession. But when teachers go out of their way, not knowing if they will be able to keep their job the next day, all in order to protect the health and well being of their students AND continue the day's agenda -- THAT IS REAL NEWS!!

Congrats Oak Ridge for setting the standards to a whole new level when it comes to your staff - now if only the state/county was on board and fix the problem NOW. I say parents & teachers continue to do whatever you need to do to keep our young ones safe.

Panacea

May 26, 2009 - 6:36 pm EDT

You kidding? Fix the schools? Why if we did that, Mr. Alston and Mr. Arnold might actually have to pay more in property taxes.

Can't have that, now, can we?

Oona

May 26, 2009 - 7:57 pm EDT

I apologize Mr. Panacea (sic), but this issue has nothing to do with politics. I'm very surprised that only half of the teachers held class outside. Health is of utmost mportance.

RUSerious

May 27, 2009 - 9:35 am EDT

This situation is crazy! Moving the kids outside where the mold count is more that 20 times MORE than the mold count inside? Yesterday in the warm, humid weather? Over half a MILLION dollars spent to try to discover a problem? For the 95+% of kids that continue to go to the school, this is ridiculous - I hope the administration sends all the teachers that are having issues (and wanting to 'protest') to the schools of their choice, I understand from friends in the system that there is a long line of teachers that would love to come to ORE and teach our children.
By the way, if students don't attend school without being formally withdrawn; are the teachers/administrators required to report them to some authority?

violaman

May 27, 2009 - 3:00 pm EDT

Thank you so much for verifying the health issues at Oak Ridge Elementary! When children can breathe well outside, but not indoors, something is terribly wrong with the air quality! The same children, staff members, parents, and other adults who have these symptoms indoors only: chronic bloody nose, severe and sudden headaches, nausea and vomiting, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections, multiple sinus infections, are free of these health issues away from Oak Ridge Elementary.

Once again, thank you for pointing out that ORE's indoor air quality is 20 times more unhealthy than outdoor air!

UNC_GRAD_2005

May 27, 2009 - 8:17 pm EDT

With all due respect, RUSerious's post is crazy! This commenter clearly has very limited knowledge about this situation. As mentioned by a previous poster, the children and faculty affected by these symptoms, do not experience the same problems outside of Oak Ridge Elementary. Upon entering the school, a large percentage of students, teachers, custodians, and other faculty/staff members start displaying symptoms. The severity of symptoms and quantity of individuals displaying symptoms has drastically increased since GCS started ripping up carpets where mold was found. Much of this was done the week before crucial EOG testing and without proper precautions! Many teachers reported 8,9,10 or even more students out of their classrooms weezing, sneezing, itching, bleeding, coughing, suffering from headaches, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, and watery itchy eyes during these exams. Parents, assistants, and other community members who served as proctors during these exams also experienced similar issues.

Oak Ridge Elementary is a fabulous school with wonderful teachers (many of who have happily worked at the school for over 10 years). In addition, it has wonderful students and tremendous parents who offer a great deal of support. The teachers, parents, and students suffering from SBS at Oak Ridge do not wish to leave the school they love and have put a great deal into. They also have not created or perceived symptoms in order to complain needlessly. They simply want to be able to go to work and school without having these issues each and every day. I have no doubt that there are many who would love to work or attend school at Oak Ridge, but I assume they would not be alright with feeling sick on a regular basis. It is worth noting that there WERE NOT complaints before the remodeling of the school in 2005.

Like RUSerious, I think the amount of money that has been spent on this issue without improvement is ludicrous. However, I do not believe the fault lies with the faculty, staff, and students for demanding a safe work/school environment. Instead the fault lies with those hired to fix the problem who have been unable or unwilling to find a solution in a timely manner. Had an extensive investigation of all possible causes of these issues been done 4 years ago, perhaps some of this money would not have been wasted and we would no longer be forced to discuss this situation.

Newspaper Reader

May 27, 2009 - 11:36 am EDT

Something in, around or below Oak Ridge Elementary School is causing long-term, wide-spread health problems. As a community we owe it to both staff and students to determine what it is and rectify the situation. Just because we cannot initially quantify it or measure it does not mean that it does not exist. Every single student and GCS employee is entitled to a safe school environment.

doukab

May 27, 2009 - 8:22 pm EDT

In addition to the air quality benefits from learning outside, these students probably experienced educational benefits from learning outside, as well. Let's hope the teachers continue this habit, and add learning about the environment to their outdoor lessons. I'll bet the students were more engaged in the learning too. A win-win!