By Dan Aceto

Staff Writer

 Parents and teachers are concerned air quality at Wentworth Intermediate School may still pose a health risk for students and faculty despite recent renovations.

Testing done in March by Northeast Test Consultants revealed the presence of mold in the art room, north wing tunnel and spaces on upper floors.

The same areas were tested again in August and levels were found to be low and did not pose health risks, according to a report from the firm.

This summer the administration worked to rectify remaining problems before the school year. 

Anne-Mayre Dexter, principal of Wentworth, said she was pleased with how money was allocated to solve issues with the school and said she is confident the administration has handled the situation to the best of its ability to ensure safety of students and faculty.
 Some issues addressed this summer included work along the outside drainage area of the west wing to prevent water from collecting, caulking and roof repair to prevent leaking in the library, cleanup of the tunnel beneath the north wing, air wash treatment with disinfectant, resealing entrances to the tunnel, cleaning of uni-vents – which work on a timer system to allow fresh filtered air to come into rooms – and professional carpet cleaning with fungicide and mold inhibitors.

A statement from the school department Aug. 31 said testing showed rooms throughout the school were safe to occupy. 

Northeast Test Consultants on Aug. 6 discovered a low percentage of asbestos on window glazings outside 26 rooms in the oldest parts of the building. 

The discovery prompted Superintendent David Doyle to release a statement before the start of school Aug. 24 that told staff to keep windows shut until a more permanent solution was developed so particles would not be released into the air.

 To ensure the comfort of students in excessive heat, the school installed new storm windows with low-E glass, shades will be drawn and ionization fans were placed in each room to help mitigate temperatures.
 “We had been told before that a lot of things were not there, that were there, like mold. We just didn’t have the correct information, but things have changed since all the testing has happened,” said Crystal Goodrich, an occupational therapist at the school.

Goodrich said school staff raised questions during a nearly two and one-half hour staff meeting Monday. Goodrich said Facilities Manager Todd Jepson appears to be doing all he can but is limited by funding from the school board. 

Dexter said teachers have approached her during the years concerning their health. 

Meredith Doyle, a former teacher at the school resigned last year citing difficulty breathing she said she suffered during her years at Wentworth. After finding a job at  Riverton School in Portland, she said her symptoms improved considerably. 

Goodrich said she also experienced trouble breathing and was forced to go on an inhaler along with steroids after cleaning her room at Wentworth one day during the end of last year.

After the vent in her room was cleaned and a new filter replaced, she noticed her symptoms were alleviated. 

Dexter said Wentworth Intermediate School is a composite building that consists of several portable classrooms that were attached in later years and that it deals with different problems associated with each of the portions. 

Dexter said significant changes have been made during the past year to increase communication between teachers and administration. Some of these changes include regular staff meetings updating teachers on test results, regularly scheduled maintenance of school property and forms teachers can fill out to report issues. 

“There is no question Wentworth is next on the list,” said Dexter on the topic of building a new school. “Goal one is for the children to come to school and get an education and to make sure everyone can come here to do what they need to do to educate the children.”

For the past year Aymie Hardesty, a Scarborough mother of six whose son entered Wentworth this week, has researched and compiled information regarding the safety of the school. She became concerned when her 19-year-old daughter became ill with sinus infections while attending the school eight years earlier.

Hardesty has amassed a considerable number of documents dating to 1998, when testing was first done on carbon monoxide levels in some of the portable units at the school. 

Although one of the portables no longer holds students because tests deemed the area unfit for occupancy, it is used to store materials for the science and math programs and, according to Dexter, is accessed by a single faculty member periodically to withdraw items. 

Dexter was uncertain if testing for mold growth had been done in the portable classroom that houses the science and math materials, although she said it is located in one of the marshier areas on the school’s grounds.

Another issue of concern for parents and teachers are radon levels reported on the school property. Dexter said levels found within classrooms were well below government standards, however the area in the north wing tunnel was a cause for concern.

Hardesty said she thinks most of the community has no idea of the issues surrounding Wentworth, and that she just wants a school that will be safe for teachers.

Goodrich said she wants to raise the public’s awareness about air quality issues at the school so taxpayers can make an informed decision whether to build a new school. 

“This isn’t because we want something shiny and new, it’s because we really need it.”