"The classroom environment

is a dirty secret," said John Lyons, a former U.S. Department of

Education facilities director. He could have been talking about some classrooms

at Starr's Mill High School.

A mold and mildew problem has

been a growing concern for teachers, students and administrators since

last spring. According to the Environmental Protection Agency's indoor

air quality division, mold-infested air can lead to nausea, headaches,

reoccurring asthmatic problems and absenteeism.

Dr. Cynde Snider, who teaches

English, is allergic to mold. Last year she suffered respiratory problems

after breathing mold-infested air.

Snider's doctors told

her she could not return to her classroom until the mold was removed.

She was put on a respiratory medicine and two inhalers.

"There was mold on my

book shelves, the couch and posters on the wall," said Snider.

Mold infestations of that type,

according to the EPA, should be cleaned using gloves, eye goggles, and

a respirator.

Snider decided to tackle the

mold problem herself. She purchased and brought in an air purifier, a

dehumidifier, and six Damp Rid buckets. Damp Rid draws the humidity out

of the air. The bucket filled with brown and murky water. "When I

cleaned off the air purifier intake vents, they were black," said

Snider.

Mold has been a problem primarily

on the 700 hall, but it has been found throughout the building.

Teachers and students have

complained of respiratory problems, watery, itchy eyes and headaches.

Mike Satterfield, director

of facilities for Fayette County Schools, believes that the main source

of mold in the school is from not removing water that was not removed

from carpets when they were cleaned during the summer.

Carpets are usually cleaned

twice a year by custodial staff. Satterfield said that whenever carpets

are cleaned, the HVAC system stays on so that air is moving and mold will

not grow.

However, when the carpets were

cleaned this past summer, this was not done, causing mold to grow on the

carpets, walls, bookshelves, and ceiling tiles.

Principal Sam Sweat said that

mold growth caused by improper carpet cleaning methods was taken care

of during pre-planning by the custodial staff.

Another English teacher also

affected by the mold was Maggie Walls, whose room is across the hall from

Snider's. The mold had practically taken over one side of her room.

"The mold was growing up the wall and into the bookshelves and on

books," Walls said. Most of the mold has been cleaned up now, but

found were several books that had mold growing up the spine. Walls also

happens to be allergic to mold.

The source of mold for the

building not only lies in the improper cleaning of the carpets but in

the growth of mold in the HVAC system itself.

Sweat said the custodial staff

was paid overtime to clean it up.

Department heads were instructed

to look for mold in their department's rooms and corridors.

County maintenance personnel

were sent out to remove molded ceiling tiles. About 50 in all were taken

out; the crew, Michael Joseph and Jeffery Woolf, only took out tiles that

had visual mold.

"There are some that will

get your attention," Joseph said.

The removal of these molded

tiles and the wiping down of surfaces only masks the problem.

"All we are doing is removing

the tiles. We're not taking care of the problem," Joseph said.

The source of the problem,

according to Joseph, is leaky valves that run above the ceiling all through

the hallways.

Satterfield said that Facilities

Services has no specialized crews to address mold-related issues. "There

are companies in the private sector that can be brought in if needed,"

Satterfield said.

Satterfield said that mold-related

issues are monitored on a daily basis.

The old Fayette County High

School, now serving as Whitewater High School with only a freshman class,

had mold caused by leaky roofs. Several years ago Facilities Services

replaced the roof, ceiling tiles, and the carpet, and since then the school

has not had any significant mold problems, Satterfield said.

Rising Starr is reporting problems

with mold as students and teachers have complained of symptoms similar

to ones at Starr's Mill.

Daily maintenance may seem

to be key in containing mold, but according to a survey by the American

School and University Magazine, school maintenance budgets have decreased

for the sixth year in a row. Satterfield said, however, that no budget

cuts imposed on Facilities Services have hindered maintenance operations

in the county.

Fayette County Facilities Services

and the administration of Starr's Mill are very concerned about mold

problems in our school, Sweat said.

Satterfield recommend that

students or teachers who have problems with mold should report those problems

to the school administration.

[Taylor DeBartola, Class of

2006, is a staff writer for the student newspaper at Starr's Mill

High School. This first appeared in The Prowler.]

e Fayette County Public Library,

phone 770-461-8841.