Mold-Help.org - The world's largest TOXIC MOLD web site
  • Mold Basics
    • Mold Overview
    • Mold Symptoms
    • Mold Types & Images
    • Fungal Infections
  • Resources and Tools
    • Home Care
    • Health & Diet
    • Tips for Parents
    • Coping with Loss
    • Private Research
    • Legal Suggestions
    • Mold in the Bible
  • Mold News
    • Current Headlines
    • “Sick Buildings”
    • The Environment
    • Construction Industry
    • Govt. & Politics
    • The Workplace
    • Landlords & Tenants
    • Insurance Companies
    • Schools & Institutions
    • Strange Fungal Tales
    • Personal Mold Stories
    • Additional Articles
  • Agencies & Experts
  • About Mold-Help
    • Mold-Help News
  • Search
  • Menu
  • Twitter
  • Facebook

School Employees Claim Mold Caused Health Problems

October 3, 2004/in Schools & Institutions /by Carolyn Willbanks

Another employee of the Rapides Parish School Board claims to be suffering from respiratory problems caused by mold at the Rapides Motivational Center on Vance Avenue. Paula Durham has filed the second lawsuit against the school system, claiming mold at that school has enflamed her asthma and left her with debilitating breathing disorders.

Durham, a teacher’s aide for five years, said her room had a moldy, musty odor that she complained about to janitors and administrators to no avail. Her room was located right next to the office of the school’s former secretary, Peggy Bergeron, who filed a similar lawsuit last summer after a moldy ceiling tile fell directly onto her desk. Both have hired former Rapides Superintendent Betty Cox as their lawyer and both have since been transferred to different schools.

The school has been tested for mold and toxic mold, but the results won’t be available until the trials.

It’s Everywhere

These are not the first complaints about mold in Rapides Parish schools. District maintenance officials say while there is no way to get rid of it all, they are taking every complaint seriously and are doing more than enough to keep it under control. Mold was a problem at Brame Middle School in September, but Principal Wally Fall was pleased that workers promptly changed the chiller system to get mildew out and alleviate mold-making wetness.

Last December, complaints of high humidity led to a discovery of mold at Buckeye High School and Hayden R. Lawrence Middle School. District facilities director Randy Patterson said the issue is resolved and the school system is now working to get money back from the architects who recently refurbished the schools. Oak Hill High School parents also complained of leaky wet conditions earlier this year. “The odor was really bad” said Deiadra Burmann, a parent of an Oak Hill second-grader. “It smelled musty, like an old house that had been closed up.” But she said since the new roof was completed recently, conditions have improved.

Roy Rachal, district coordinator of risk management, said mold is everywhere, but dangerous toxic mold has only been found at Mary Goff Elementary in the spring of 2002. Rachal, who is certified in mold abatement, explained the main mold considered toxic is stacybotrous, but only if it is dried and disrupted, causing it to go airborne.

A janitor cleaning an area accidentally disrupted a colony of stachybotrous spores in Mary Goff. Within days, Rachal had tested the area, found toxic mold and quarantined the premises with negative air pressure to keep any fumes from passing through. The project cost the district $93,000.

A small amount of stagnant stachybotrys was discovered at North Bayou Rapides Elementary School in 2002. Even though private contractors have declared the school has safe air quality, teachers aren’t convinced. “The carpet has so much mold, I’m scared to touch it,” said teacher Tracy Bock. “When I turn on the air conditioning, my kids complain that it smells so bad. They are sneezing and coughing, the ones with asthma are wheezing.”

Humidity Ills

The Environmental Protection Agency claims one of the biggest causes of poor indoor air quality is when not enough “fresh air” from outside is let indoors. However, that’s a much different story in Louisiana, Rachal said. When more of Louisiana’s humid, mold-ridden outside air is brought into a school, the conditions worsen, he said. He said every time someone complains of too much humidity or mold in the schools, he conducts an air quality test that tells him how many mold spores are found per cubic meter of air inside and outside. “Almost every instance that our environmentalist have tested the air, the air inside is cleaner than the outside air,” he said. “That means it’s more dangerous to breathe the air outside.” However, he said, “If we have any reason to be concerned, I’ll make the recommendation to shut a school down immediately like we did at Mary Goff.”

Patterson said the school district has stepped up maintenance to prevent water intrusion through seasonal roof inspections, slowly upgrading heating and air conditioning systems, and training janitors to be on the lookout. “I guarantee there aren’t many school systems doing what we are proactively to deal with this … to ensure our students, faculty and visitors a safe environment,” Rachal said. “…But we don’t just go out and randomly test everything for mold. It is not cost efficient.”

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
https://www.mold-help.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/moldhelp-654x300.png 0 0 Carolyn Willbanks https://www.mold-help.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/moldhelp-654x300.png Carolyn Willbanks2004-10-03 21:02:302018-09-07 18:58:58School Employees Claim Mold Caused Health Problems

Mold News

  • Current Headlines
  • "Sick Buildings"
  • The Environment
  • Construction Industry
  • Govt. & Politics
  • The Workplace
  • Landlords & Tenants
  • Insurance Companies
  • Schools & Institutions
  • Personal Mold Stories
  • Strange Fungal Tales
  • Additional Articles

Latest Posts

  • Office and Commercial Buildings at Risk for Mold after COVID-19 Closings
  • COVID-19 Symptoms May Include Loss of Taste and Smell
  • New Mold Detox Information on the Horizon
  • COVID-19 Courses of Action
  • Stachybotrys
  • Simple and Easy Ways to Prevent the Coronavirus
  • Your Air Conditioning Unit Helps Eliminate Mold
  • Construction Workers Are Learning to Control Dust and Debris
  • Dangerous Mosquitoes Love Water
  • Insects in your Basement May be a Sign of Water Damage

Search Our Site:

Need Help with Mold?

Are you being affected by mold or other mycotoxins in your environment? Our team and community has over 15 years experience and can provide guidance. You can reach us by submitting your contact or through our Facebook page.

Have a Story to Share?

We're looking for stories and input to expand our database and to add to the personal experiences we've received from the thousands of victims over the last 15. If mold has impacted your life, please take the time to share your story. Your information is confidential and will only be shared with your permission.

Seeking Mold Experts

Are you an expert in the treatment of mold-affected health illnesses, or a provider of services to victims of mycotoxin exposure? Submit your information for listing consideration in our Agencies & Experts resource database.

Additional Resources

  • Contact Us
  • Sitemap
  • Glossary of Terms
  • Discussion Board
  • Survivor Resources
  • General Inquiries
  • Legal Disclaimer

© Copyright - Mold-Help Organization
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Mold Basics
  • Resources and Tools
  • Agencies & Experts
  • Mold News
  • About Mold-Help
Scroll to top

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

OKLearn more

Cookie and Privacy Settings



How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refuseing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds: