LAFOURCHE PARISH, La. — Parents in Lafourche Parish are concerned there's more than knowledge growing in the Cut Off Elementary classrooms.
Soon after second graders received a letter informing parents of a 'temporary change' to classroom locations due to an air conditioning issue earlier this month, suspicions were high.
Brandy Mayberry said her kids have been sick, and after the letter, she started asking questions.
“If it wasn’t for this teacher coming forward and letting us know the truth, this would’ve never been brought to light," Mayberry said.
Parents obtained photos of what appears to be mold growing from the school's baseboards, ceilings, and walls.
Father, Mathew Bascle, described the guilt he felt after learning about the mold.
"We were telling our kids, 'Alright if you don’t go to school again because of a headache you’re going to be in trouble,'" Bascle said, "But once we found out with the mold, it’s kind of like, ok wait a minute maybe we’re not doing our due diligence as parents. So that’s where the emotional side started kicking in like I failed my kids.”
On Thursday evening, the school held an 'informational meeting' for parents concerned about the 'environmental issues,' according to a Facebook post from Cut Off Elementary.
At the meeting, community members reported more than 60 Cut Off Elementary students have experienced breathing-related issues.
“My kids are in third and they’ve had bronchitis and pneumonia multiple times," Mayberry said.
Galen Santiny's daughter has been sick too.
“She has been diagnosed with asthma. She does take inhalers," Santiny said.
Emilee Guidry is a parent of Cut Off Elementary students and a former para.
“It was pretty depressing having to quit for my health and safety, but I’m very thankful that I did because now I’m healthier," Guidry said.
Lafourche Parish Schools Superintendent, Jarod Martin, was unavailable Friday evening for an interview, but he sent a statement to WWL Louisiana.
"One of our elementary schools recently had a classroom that developed what we believe to be mold along the bottom of a wall. After cleaning the area once, it returned days later. We then contacted our mold remediation specialist to assist in the removal and remediation of the area. Since that time, we have conducted extensive air sampling and found no evidence of elevated mold spores in any of the indoor air samples. We have a robust plan to address the conditions that allowed the mold to develop, which includes the aid of mechanical engineers to address the HVAC system, an architect to address the building envelop, and a mold remediation company to fully remediate any identified areas of concern," Martin said, "We are committed to the environmental health and safety of all of our schools and are working to resolve this issue safely and effectively."
Cut Off Elementary parents aren't satisfied. They said they want to see the results and know what kind of mold is in the building.
“Right now, we have no trust or confidence that what they’re doing moving forward is enough," Santiny said.
Martin said in an email to WWL Louisiana that the test results would be made public sometime next week.
Some parents believe the students and staff should be moved to a temporary building.
“I think the kids need to be, everybody needs to be, evacuated out of there," Guidry said.
Supt. Martin told us over the phone that erecting a temporary school was premature and would take between 60 and 90 days. Instead, they will focus on remediation efforts and more testing.
Meantime, Mayberry said she won't be waiting for results or new buildings. She informed her students that they would be moving to another school.
“Today was a hard day. I think that going forward it will be better. I think their health will improve and that overall is everything to me," Mayberry said.
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