Brookfield Central student says mold problem spreading
Brookfield Central High School senior
Emily Ertel is documenting health hazards at the school, including the
growth of mold under a science room lab station.
Brookfield Central High School senior Emily Ertel
says her school has a moldy little secret.
"We have a serious air-quality problem, and it's making
people sick - so much that teachers cannot come to work and students
are taking medications," said Ertel, 17, who is co-editor of the school's
newspaper, Tyro.
Ertel has been documenting the mold and air-quality
issues in the school for three years, and keeps copies of all of her
correspondence with district officials, mold remediation reports and
a detailed timeline of events in a stack of three-ring binders.
Throughout the school, ceiling tiles are water stained,
exposed metal is rusted, wooden cabinets are warped, and faucets run
continuously and spill water onto the floor. The school's flat roof
also collects puddles that remain days after a rainfall.
"It's an old school with lots of problems," Ertel
said. "Kids don't know any better because they have grown up in this
district. They think that this is the way schools are."
Administrators in the affluent district acknowledged
a mold problem in 2004, which they said was remediated.
"There's clear evidence that there's water and moisture;
even if they are changing ceiling tiles, painting over dark areas and
making other cosmetic changes," Ertel said.
Conditions have become unbearable for some teachers
– at least two have complained to administrators that mold may
be causing health problems, and a science teacher took a medical leave.
Word of the possible health hazards has spread to
Elmbrook's other high school, Brookfield East, prompting East teachers
to say that they will not expose themselves to unhealthy conditions
by filling in for Central's teachers who take medical leave.
However, word has not spread to Elmbrook School District
voters. According to results of a recent telephone poll, released by
the district, residents are satisfied with the district's education
and facilities – 59% rated the physical condition of the two high
schools as good or excellent.
"Most of these people have never been in the schools,"
Ertel said. "It's easy to look at test scores and say that the schools
are doing just fine. But what about our health?"
Ertel attributes residents' high satisfaction level
to the fact that parents don't know about conditions in the school.
That's why she supports Senate Bill 325, known as
the Wisconsin Indoor Environmental Quality in Schools Act. The bill
provides schools with a guide to improve indoor environmental quality
and ensure that new construction, remodeling or renovation projects
pay attention to student health concerns before the projects are approved.
It also requires the state to notify school boards that are not in compliance
with the legislation and to make such information available to students
and their parents, school employees and the general public if noncompliance
poses a health and safety risk.
"If parents knew, they would not be OK with the conditions
here," Ertel said of her school. "People are taken advantage of every
day - just by having to be in this building."
The School Board is trying to decide what to do about
the district's aging high schools. Plans range from building two new
high schools for upwards of $100 million to remodelling and expanding
the high schools or phasing in improvements.
Air quality problems in Wisconsin schools
- 2001– Madison: Chavez Elementary School was closed for nearly the full 2001-2002 school year for mold remediation after several teachers and students complained of upper respiratory problems soon after the new building opened. District officials released a report blaming "non-conformance to the construction documents." Remediation cost $2 million.
- 2003 - Monticello: A leaking roof contributed to mold growth in at least four rooms in the elementary school and one room in the high school. During remediation, officials also found flaking asbestos and lead paint in the ceiling and floor.
- 2005 - Oshkosh: Students suffer allergies or asthma, and other health issues are exacerbated by poor indoor air quality at Webster Stanley Middle School. Hazards at the school include poor ventilation, extreme room temperature fluctuations, a clogged sink drain, and cracked ceiling tiles.
- Do you know of a school with a air-quality problem? E-mail us and let us know about it.
Air quality in schools resource page
Posted November 16, 2005