Kean calls mold in twp. schools 'unacceptable' Parents and staff voice concerns about the air quality in district schools BY DANIEL HOWLEY Staff Writer OCEAN TOWNSHIP - State Sen. Sean Kean is calling for an investigation of the air quality at Ocean Township schools after a school nurse reported that exposure to mold caused her to become ill. School employees and concerned parents made remarks at a special meeting on Feb. 27 at town hall claiming that air quality conditions in the district schools have contributed to sickness among students and staff. "We are absolutely going to get people to come down here to [investigate the claims]," said Kean at the meeting. "We can't have kids in an environment where they are exposed to mold and have respiratory problems. It is unacceptable." He added that the investigation will be conducted by an impartial party who has the best interest of the community at heart. Kean was joined by Assemblywoman and Ocean Township resident Mary Pat Angelini and Assemblyman David Rible at the meeting. Former Ocean Township Intermediate School nurse Valerie Boodaghians had made claims that an exposure to mold in her office in 2004 caused her to develop severe medical problems. "I'm not here so much tonight on behalf of myself and everything that happened to me," Boodaghians, who is now the nurse at the Ocean Township Wanamassa Elementary School, said. "I'm here because the [poor] indoor air quality is still going on in the Ocean Township school system. "We've had children brought out in ambulances and higher cases of asthmatics," Boodaghians added. Dr. Lisa Zimmerman, a parent whose child attends classes at the Intermediate School, said that since her daughter entered the school, she has developed several medical issues. "I have a very sick child and everything [Boodaghians] said is true," Zimmerman said, adding that she wants the school's heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system replaced immediately. According to Ocean Township Superintendent of Schools Thomas Pagano, the district is scheduled to replace the HVAC system this summer. The Intermediate School was closed for one week at the start of the 2003-04 school year, after a mold infestation was discovered, according to Pagano. Pagano said the mold was formed as a result of a window being left open at the school during a rainy three-week period prior to the start of the school year. The discovery of the mold prompted district officials to hire a contractor to remediate the problem, which occurred without incident, Pagano said. Since the remediation of the mold took place, Pagano said the district has installed a humidity detection system in the Intermediate School to ensure that future incidents involving mold do not occur. Since the mold infestation at the beginning of the 2003-04 school year, district schools are inspected yearly by the Monmouth County Department of Health for mold contamination, according to Pagano. Boodaghians said at the meeting that district officials are warned of the inspections prior to them happening. "Heads-up is given to the school's administration that the [inspectors] are going to come to do the air quality testing," Boodaghians said. "[The inspections] are not showing a good picture of what our children are breathing 10 months a year for six to eight hours of their day at school," she said. Ocean Township School Business Administrator Kenneth Jannarone said that the only inspections the district is made aware of are those ordered from contracted environmental engineers. "We've had the health department, school doctors, public employees, occupational safety officials test the school," Jannarone said. "This is a building that has almost 200 staff members," he said. "It is open practically 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so there is nothing it can hide," Jannarone added. Boodaghians claims issues with the school's air quality began to arise when the Intermediate School, which houses approximately 1,400 students in grades five through eight, had an addition constructed to the sixth-grade wing. Boodaghians said that as a result of the exposure to mold in her office, a fungal growth began to form in her throat. She was diagnosed with fungal laryngitis in 2005. Boodaghians said she was treated for laryngeal nerve paresis, a partial paralysis of her vocal cords, which caused her to lose her voice. The treatment involved two surgeries, as well as ongoing speech therapy to regain her ability to speak, according to Boodaghians. Boodaghians is currently suing the Ocean Township School District for workers' compensation and is seeking compensation for her medical bills and the reinstatement of sick and personal time she used while receiving treatments for her illness. Jannarone said the claims of mold infestation are a result of Boodaghians' lawsuit and nothing more. "This all stems from one employee who has a lawsuit and is looking to cash in, and that is the root of the whole problem," Jannarone said.