A local mother and former custodian of an elementary school is sweeping the floor with district administrators, blaming them for not being more proactive in ending their mold problem once and for all.
According to the Springfield News-Leader, Portland Lloyd recently exposed Delaware Elementary’s dirty little secret of a recurring mold problem that may pose health risks to the young students.
Lloyd is particularly disturbed because she has become so close to the children over her eight-year tenure at the school. She also notes that Delaware Elementary is home to a large number of students with disabilities and special needs.
Administrators have acknowledged the problem, but refute Lloyd’s claims that the school isn’t doing everything in its power to protect their at-risk students.
“We knew we had medically fragile students,” said Jason Anderson, executive director of elementary learning. “We wanted to have that cleaned up before they walked in the door.”
According to KY3 News in Missouri, Lloyd claims she observed mold growing on students’ desks and chairs while cleaning over the summer, as well as some rooms having a disturbing amount of mold covering the carpets and walls.
“The student chairs that are made of plastic, filing cabinets, the walls, the pipes, the ceiling tile. It was all covered in mold that was green, white and black in color,” says Lloyd.
“The district refused to admit there is an issue, let alone address it,” she said. “These medically fragile children deserve better.”
Mold can lead to a host of terrible health effects, ranging from asthma to cancer. According to the Mayo Clinic, a shocking 93% of all sinus infections are attributed to mold exposure.
Lloyd believes that a heavy summer rain combined with old air-conditioning units are the root of the school’s mold problem. She notes that the library, where a brand-new AC unit was recently installed, is the only room that was completely mold-free.
The school claims there have been no further mold issues since the school year began. Portland Lloyd is no longer employed by the district, but was deemed to be “eligible for rehire” upon her departure.
