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Schools

Is school cafeteria hazardous?

Mold complaints at Tarpon Springs Elementary lead to an investigation. The mayor calls the room "intolerable."

By JANE MADDEN WELCH
Published September 22, 2005

TARPON SPRINGS - The cafeteria at Tarpon Springs Elementary School will be closed starting today as officials try to determine if the building has a mold problem.

The inquiry could extend to the school's library and other common areas.

"We're going to go ahead and close the cafeteria ... until we're sure that there's nothing that's a problem for the kids and the people who serve them," said Pinellas County school superintendent Clayton Wilcox, who made the decision Wednesday.

School administrators will have bag lunches prepared offsite and brought to the 596-student school. Officials are also looking into bringing hot lunches to the school.

Investigating and fixing the problem could take months, so school officials are looking into bringing in a portable building to serve as a temporary cafeteria.

School Board member Mary Russell attended a community meeting in the school cafeteria Tuesday night. The next day she urged Wilcox to investigate.

After a preliminary examination, Wilcox decided to close the cafeteria. "I wasn't getting the kind of answers that would have satisfied me as a dad."

Wilcox said the cafeteria will not reopen until he is satisfied there are no health concerns. One question he would want answered is whether the experts who evaluate the building would let their children eat there.

School district spokesman Sterling Ivey said the problem was not that there was mold on the walls but that condensation could lead to mold. He said the district would look at the air-conditioning system in the cafeteria.

Teachers and parents have long suspected a mold problem at the school, which was built in 1952.

On Aug. 19, the school sent a letter to parents advising that the cafeteria would be closed because of a "temperature control condensation" problem.

The cafeteria was closed for several days to repair a malfunctioning air-conditioner and a water leak that caused wet ceiling tiles and a slippery floor.

During that time, students ate in their classrooms.

One firm, Salazar Consulting, was hired to evaluate the cafeteria's moisture condensation problem. Another consultant, Lang Environmental, was hired to clean the cafeteria.

Salazar's evaluation found "limited areas of specific water-stained tile ... with discolorations suggestive of mold growth."

The firm did not test the school for mold.

Ed Ural, assistant director of the maintenance department, told more than 50 parents and staff members Tuesday night that the school district had addressed the issue of condensation by moving the duct work, replacing insulation and ceiling tiles. The drywall on the south wall of the cafeteria was removed and the surface treated chemically.

"This is a work in progress," Ural said. "We are going to continue corrective action."

But parents at the meeting weren't satisfied, citing concerns about other areas of the school. They asked for a health assessment.

School librarian Pauline Phillips implored Area I superintendent Oscar Robinson to check out the library, too.

"Anyone who volunteers for me complains about respiratory problems," she said. "It's just as bad as (the cafeteria)."

School nurse Susan Evans said 15 percent of the school's students have respiratory problems such as allergies and asthma.

"We know the effect of moisture on these kids," she said. "It makes their problems much, much worse."

Parents became emotional as they talked about their children's breathing problems and rashes, and the need to carry epinephrine kits. In one case, they said, a third-grader ended up in the emergency room with a severe allergic reaction.

Tarpon Springs Mayor Beverley Billiris, who taught sixth grade at the school for about 10 years, said she remembers going home often with a sore throat and swollen glands.

"I walked in this room tonight, I had to turn around and walk back out," she said about the cafeteria, which has a noticeable odor. "My opinion is it's intolerable for the kids to eat lunch here."

The cafeteria also is used for the YMCA's afterschool care program.

By the end of the 90-minute meeting, Robinson agreed to look into the problem by consulting professionals and inquiring about a health assessment. He promised to act quickly.

"I'll get with the experts and ask them what's the best thing we can do," he said. "I've heard your concerns and I think they're valid."

Staff writers Thomas C. Tobin and Richard Danielson contributed to this report.

[Last modified September 22, 2005, 01:03:19]