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Parents in Oak Ridge feel they can finally see an end to the ongoing troubles with their elementary school.

Guilford County Schools learned this week that a final report by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health will not include any additional findings regarding environmental health at Oak Ridge Elementary.

NIOSH has said for weeks the final report would not be ready until later this year. School officials worried whether that report would include health concerns other than those NIOSH found when it inspected Oak Ridge Elementary this summer . Also of concern was whether additional work would be needed that would keep the school closed.

Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green closed the school in June to students and employees.

Oak Ridge Elementary employees and students have complained of illnesses that included headaches, nose bleeds and chronic respiratory problems since the building reopened in 2005 after undergoing major renovations and additions.

During the summer, school officials brought in NIOSH and the private consulting firm Turner Building Science and Design to inspect the school. Both groups found mold and dampness while inspecting the school. NIOSH considers dampness a public health problem that requires remediation.

No group that has inspected the school, including the county health department, has definitively linked anything found at the school to the illnesses reported at the school.
Shelly Headen’s three daughters were supposed to attend Oak Ridge Elementary this year but now attend classes at three of the four alternative sites for the school. She said she’s heard optimism this week from other parents that children will return to Oak Ridge Elementary sooner rather than later. She’s not as optimistic.

“It’s now remotely possible but I don’t think it’s a done deal,” she said.

Marianne Wiener has been a leading advocate for parents and employees worried the school is making people sick. She said the news this week has been misleading for some, with some locals believing the school will reopen in a matter of weeks. She said the school district must complete the remaining work at the school first and ensure that the school is safe.

“I applaud the work Guilford County is doing trying to remediate the issues but I hope before they send the children and staff back into the school they are sure that it’s a safe environment,” she said.

Wiener withdrew her daughter from the school in April and said she isn’t sure yet if she’ll enroll her when it reopens.

Angelo Kidd , the regional superintendent responsible for the Oak Ridge area, said it’s still too early to set a target for when the school might reopen.

“I’m sure after everything is complete and very intense inspections are done I’m very optimistic everything will be good for us to move back in,” Kidd said.

Work addressing the issues NIOSH and the Turner group found this summer continues. All carpeting was removed and replaced with vinyl tile. Dry ice was used to blast floorboards clean. Damaged drywall was replaced.

Major work yet to get under way includes an extensive review of how the school’s heating and air-conditioning system controls airflow in the school and whether it merits any changes. There are drainage issues around the school that need to be fixed as well.

District officials are already working on a plan to transition students and staff from the alternative locations back to the school once the work is done and the decision is made to reopen. Kidd said the team of parents and teachers consulted during the process this year will be involved in the transition plan.

Issues with the school have strained the Oak Ridge community, with friendships torn over the debate of whether the school was making people sick or not. That’s why Heather Champion , the mother of two Oak Ridge students, said mending fences must be part of any plan to transition back into the school.

“People feel very strongly about it on both sides and there’s a whole continuum in between,” Champion said. “It’ll be a process. We have to have good strong leadership to help bring us back together.”

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