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GREENSBORO — Parents and employees at Oak Ridge Elementary School poured out four years of frustration to national health inspectors Tuesday in the hopes they will be able to identify what’s causing health concerns at the school.
 

Two teams will inspect the school this week: a team from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and another from Turner Building Science and Design, an engineering firm specializing in indoor air quality.
 

The two teams introduced themselves to a small group of parents and teachers before spending the day walking through the building.
 

“I commend the county for bringing in NIOSH and an outside consulting firm,” said Scott Tippet, the father of three Oak Ridge students. “It’s a great idea and long overdue.”
 

The NIOSH team will work through Thursday looking for what might be causing the headaches, bloody noses, respiratory problems and other illnesses reported by students and employees at the school.
 

Those complaints began in 2005 after renovations and an addition to the school opened. Mold has been found several times at the school, first on books stored in a trailer during construction and most recently on carpet and other places in the building this spring.
 

Jean Cox-Ganser, the NIOSH team leader, anticipates providing a summary report Thursday during a news conference but said a detailed report could take several weeks to produce.
 

A committee of school system officials, as well as Oak Ridge parents and employees, formed several weeks ago to develop alternative sites to hold classes if Oak Ridge is deemed unfit.
 

Angelo Kidd, the regional superintendent who oversees Oak Ridge, said the reports made this week will be major factors in his recommendation whether to open the school or not. He said he also will consider the thoughts of the parents and employees involved as well as school system officials.
 

Kidd said the committee has considered several alternative sites, including splitting up the Oak Ridge students to other schools. He said he wants to provide a recommendation to Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green by the end of the week.
 

The school system spent more than $600,000 by early June attempting to identify and address the health concerns, including the installation of a dehumidification system. The school board voted last month to set aside nearly $500,000 in the 2009-10 budget for additional costs.
 

The school system called in the Guilford County Public Health Department in late spring.
 

Officials inspected the building and reviewed reports from the school system and the contractors who did work at the school.
 

The health department also surveyed students and parents, asking about health issues and their use of the building.
 

Many students and employees reported headaches and other symptoms that were often eased when windows were opened.
 

Health officials found no reason to close the school before classes ended last month but did recommend that it be closed during the summer pending further investigation.
 

Dr. Ward Robinson, the health department’s medical director, suggested early in his work with Oak Ridge that the school system should bring in NIOSH.
 

Robinson said his office takes the illness claims seriously and want to see the issues at the school resolved.

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