By Dan Aceto

Staff Writer

Teresa Canty wants to know if the school her daughter attends is safe.

Canty said she was shocked after receiving a letter Superintendent David Doyle sent parents Aug. 31 about testing done for mold, radon and asbestos at Wentworth Intermediate School, which serves grades three through five. It was the first time she had heard of such issues at the school. 

“Everybody in Scarborough knows when sign-ups for football are, but it seems nobody has any idea about this,” she said.

Canty said she has heard conflicting stories about the quality of health for students at Wentworth Intermediate since she received the letter and has sent her own letter to Gov. John Baldacci and others asking for help with the matter.

Superintendent David Doyle responded to parents’ concerns and arranged for additional tests at the school.

On Tuesday the Bureau of General Services, a state organization responsible for oversight of public improvements, conducted an assessment of air quality at Wentworth.  According to a letter sent to parents, testing throughout the school focused on levels of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, temperature and humidity.  

Doyle said he was pleased with the quick response from the bureau and hopes to receive a report with findings early next week. 

“One of the reasons we’re doing further testing is to verify what was found by [Northeast Test Consultants] or to see if we missed something that will point us in a new direction. The more information we get the better and this will either confirm what we found earlier or be something different,” he said. 

Todd Jepson, facilities manager at the school, said tests would be conducted to measure the amount of fresh air unit ventilators are capable of supplying rooms in the school. Doyle said testing will not include another mold investigation.

When Aymie Hardesty, whose son attends Wentworth, received Doyle’s letter Tuesday about additional testing, she was  “dismayed to hear that testing only included CO, CO2, temperature and humidity.” 

“These are not the issues that concern many parents and staff,” Hardesty said in an e-mail to Doyle and Principal Anne-Mayre Dexter, “my fear is that this will give citizens a sense of comfort when, in fact, it doesn’t even begin to address the issues.” 

Hardesty, who has compiled information on testing at Wentworth as far back as 1998, said she has contacted the bureau about her concerns and believes the need for testing goes beyond the Tuesday assessment.

 According to Hardesty, only certain areas of the school have been tested for mold: the tunnels under the school, storage room, custodial closet, conference room and classrooms 30 and 33. 

“There were no tests for any other classrooms and the fact that seven of the sites were found to contain levels of mold begs the question: Should we test more of the school?” said Hardesty.

Northeast Test Consultants (NTC), which tested the school in March and August, reported air quality levels at the school were safe enough for “unrestricted occupancy.” Parents and teachers seem to think otherwise.

Kerry Daly, whose son is a fourth-grader at Wentworth Intermediate, said she was “appalled” the day she walked into his classroom. 

In an e-mail circulated between Canty and others, Daly said she “felt the heavy thick air” when she entered the north wing of the school and her son’s classroom appeared “dark, dreary and cave-like.” 

School administration has mandated teachers keep all windows shut and curtains drawn in the north wing so asbestos found on outside window paneling is not disturbed. Doyle said the windows are to be kept shut until a more permanent solution is found.

Daly’s son, who has permanent hearing loss in one ear, said fans in the rooms to alleviate heat from having windows closed have hindered his ability to hear teachers’ instructions. 

Canty said the heat has been overwhelming and fans create a noisy environment that distract students. 

“One of the first days it was 98 degrees inside the classroom. I can’t even survive in my office in those conditions. How are our children expected to learn in that kind of environment?” she asked. 

Jepson, the facilities manager, said he has been working with several contractors to install new windows in the classrooms and is awaiting funding approval from the school board.

Doyle said replacement of windows and proper removal of asbestos could cost as much as $125,000, although he is still waiting to hear quotes from several companies.

Jo Anne Sizemore, assistant superintendent, said that Wentworth will have to go through the school board for the funds. Doyle estimated nearly $1 million has been spent so far on renovations and testing at the school.

Canty said she fears help may come to late and it could be another six weeks before new windows are installed. 

Windows, however, aren’t the only concern for parents.

Daly said her son has been ill with numerous upper respiratory infections and sore throats since entering the school last year and has had several absences. She said a hearing advocate at the school noticed how tired her son had become, which surprised Daly because her son generally is active at home. Daly said she feels mold at the school may be to blame.

Meredith Doyle, a former Wentworth Intermediate School teacher, resigned last year citing trouble breathing and other health issues she said she incurred as a result of her time at the school. 

She said the room she taught in had a door that provided access to the outside of the school and on days where weather was less than satisfactory, rain often seeped in and was absorbed by the carpet. 

Prior to moving into the classroom, another teacher complained of illness and requested to be taken out of the same room she later occupied,  Doyle said. 

Although the area was tested, the presence of mold was again found to be at a level within safety guidelines. 

“I took pictures on my phone of white mold and mildew on the carpet,” she said, “granted it may not have been in the air, but I never saw any documentation of the carpet being tested.” 

Doyle said her symptoms worsened from 2006 to 2008, and after teachers noticed her declining health they told her they experienced similar problems. 

“Teachers would tell me they were congested all the time and were taking antihistamines regularly just to work at the school,” she said.

During a teachers meeting in October 2009, in a room known to have sustained water damage from a leak in the roof, she said she felt her chest tighten. She said moments later a colleague next to her had an asthma attack so Doyle ran to retrieve her inhaler. The incident prompted her and approximately 15 other teachers to file a grievance with the superintendent. 

Doyle said she didn’t receive a response until two and half months later.

“We had been told there was not sufficient documentation from doctors regarding our symptoms to take further action,” she said. 

Doyle said she realizes symptoms such as post-nasal drip and sinus congestion are hard to pinpoint and trace to an exact cause, and that many times people wouldn’t think of going to a doctor. 

“You don’t go to a doctor for a sore throat or headache, no one had documentation they bought Claritin over the counter,” she said. Sizemore confirmed the grievance and said the school had chosen not to proceed due to the amount of work already being done at the school for other problems.

Doyle said she continually “fought tooth and nail” to change rooms at the school in an attempt to alleviate her symptoms and it wasn’t until a fellow teacher stepped in and helped that she was able to move. 

“My question here is, why aren’t we on the same team? These air-quality tests come back normal, but over a third of staff have symptoms. I realize a lot of teachers are scared to say anything because they don’t want to risk losing their jobs, but I’m just worried about them and the kids,” she said.

Doyle, who now works at Riverton School in Portland, said since she transferred from Wentworth Intermediate she has noticed an improvement in her overall health.

Canty, who last week sent a letter to Baldacci about her concerns regarding the school, said she thinks something can be done to promote better communication between parents and administration at Wentworth Intermediate. 

“I’d like something a bit more all-inclusive on what’s happened in the past, what’s going to happen and what’s happening now. How does the everyday Joe like me get this information?” Canty asked. 

Canty said although the school may not be at “shutdown levels” now, she feels the administration hasn’t been as forthright or honest as it could. 

When Canty’s daughter became ill last year, she assumed she had developed allergies and didn’t consider the presence of mold. Canty said she wishes administration notified health professionals in the area who did not know about the issue.

Although David Doyle said there has been a “bump” in the number of kids who have been admitted to the nurse this year, he and nurses at the school have encouraged students to stay well-hydrated to avoid headaches. 

Jepson said he has been working with members of the school department to make sure test documents and other updates concerning the school would be available on the Scarborough School Department’s website.

One of  the central issues surrounding renovations at Wentworth Intermediate School is funding. 

In an e-mail circulated to Canty and others, Sen. Larry Bliss (D-Cumberland County, District 7) said,  “at the state level, we have talked for a long time about setting up a revolving loan fund that would allow municipalities to borrow money for school repairs. For some reason, that fund has never materialized.”

“As communities expand into outskirts and leave their downtown area, the state is trapped into helping cover the cost of new schools rather than repairing older ones. Sadly, there just isn’t enough money to spread to cover all of the requests,” Bliss wrote. Canty said she’s disappointed about how Scarborough has spent money in the past knowing what she does now about Wentworth  Intermediate. 

“This town spends a lot of money on after school sports, you know there was a fabulous AstroTurf built for the football field, but not addressing this issue is insane,” she said. 

Meredith Doyle agreed and said during her time at Wentworth two new computer labs were installed, yet little work was done on remediation. 

“To me, health trumps the economy,” she said.

Daly said she feels “helpless” and wants the children at Wentworth Intermediate with developing immune systems to get the healthy, fresh air they deserve. 

Canty agreed and said she wakes up every morning and knowingly sends her daughter to a school she believes is “poisoned.”

Jepson said from a maintenance standpoint he would love a new school. 

“After having spoken with teachers and parents there is a concern and there is a desire for a new building. I have the same concerns and I want the school to be safe and comfortable for everyone. As a former teacher, I can relate to the experience and know that environment is central to learning,” he said.

Jepson said the earliest a new school could be considered for approval by the town council would most likely be November 2011, and that hopefully a plan from 2006 could be referenced for construction of a new school. 

“I don’t think a lot of community members that voted against the school were as aware as parents are now,” Jepson said.

Meredith Doyle said she is uncertain of Wentworth’s future. 

“One thing that has bothered me about this whole situation is that I’m watching the news and reading the papers and I just don’t believe they’re being honest. They’ve known about a lot of problems for years but just recently started doing things when more parents found out. This didn’t start me with me, and it won’t end with me,” she said.

Staff Writer Dan Aceto can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 237.