Look for mold in your school

When Key Middle School started having its problems we wanted to know how widespread mold issues are within HISD.  A check of the records shows more schools with mold problems since August.  Many of them needed professional mold abatement.

We’ve put excerpts of those reports here.

If you read any of them you will see that Key’s mold issue is not the most severe. 

We didn’t find any where the mold issue wasn’t addressed, but we did find some where maintenance seems to be a continuing issue.

Mold grows in a moist environment and from our research and reading it seems improperly maintained school AC’s are allowing mold to grow in schools.

In a report tonight on the news at 10 – you’ll hear HISD’s maintenance chief admit he’s not satisfied with the level of maintenance being performed.

This is our first look at this issue and I continue to look deeper.

• Black Middle School
• Bonham Elementary School
• Chatham Elementary School
• Cullen Middle School
• DeBakey Alternative
• Franklin Elementary School
• HSPVA
• Jackson Middle School
• Johnston Middle School
• Jordan High School (pt. 1)
• Jordan High School (pt. 2)
• JW Jones Elementary School
• Kashmere High School
• Key Middle School
• Long Middle School
• Milby High School
• Ryan Middle School
• Patrick Henry Middle School

Comments

[TDGRL]

Check Attucks MS. Big mold problem and teachers getting sick. HISD has companies they've contracted go out and give flawed reports. Independent companies that have nothing to do with HISD need to investigate.

[andrea]

my kids school has mold and it was not included with the other schools on the list. mcdade elementary school.

[concerned parent]

My 5 year old has been sick and has developed asthma he goes to grissom elementary can someone check that school.

[stephen pemberton]

i am an air monitoring technition. i have taken hundreds of mold air samples and the results are usually higher outside than inside buildings!

[lisa]

check law elementary

[name withheld]

I am concerned with another school, as well, but in another district - Channelview ISD. Many children and employees who attend the building are very sick and have been since the beginning of the school year. Cleaning up the mold is merely a bandage for the problem. We must find the source of the mold and repair it properly. I would highly agree with a previous comment that a poorly-running AC system is a factor. The compressor is simply unable to remove the humidity out of the rooms.

[NoMoreSchoolMold]

When risk managers do the investigation, they are limiting liability, along with the school attorney(s), plain and simple...The fox is guarding the hen house - in fact a whole team of foxes, paid for courtesy of the taxpayers. The whole system is dysfunctional when it comes to school environments, nationwide. Endless games are played to avoid responsibility for poor building maintenance and resultant damp buildings that severely harms the health of the occupants, sometimes leading to the death of some - often, those who were in the rooms most or those who cleaned the mold improperly (without proper protection). Parents should avoid damp school buildings like the plague - and ensure that your school boards and superintendents are the types that will make the students health first priority, and take actions that prove this - not just talk about it.

[NoMoreSchoolMold]

When risk managers do the investigation, they are limiting liability, along with the school attorney(s), plain and simple...The fox is guarding the hen house - in fact a whole team of foxes, paid for courtesy of the taxpayers. The whole system is dysfunctional when it comes to school environments, nationwide. Endless games are played to avoid responsibility for poor building maintenance and resultant damp buildings that severely harms the health of the occupants, sometimes leading to the death of some - often, those who were in the rooms most or those who cleaned the mold improperly (without proper protection). Parents should avoid damp school buildings like the plague - and ensure that your school boards and superintendents are the types that will make the students health first priority, and take actions that prove this - not just talk about it.

[NoMoreSchoolMold]

Go to www.schoolmoldhelp.org for more information.

[Adela Valdez]

My son attends Barbara Jordan School For Careers and says they have mold in a class.