Nearly 600 children attend the W.A. Porter Elementary School in Hurst, part of the Birdville Independent School District. Workers are finally finishing a new steel roof, which is built on top of the old roof at W.A. Porter. The old roof, which had a history of leaks, was saturated again this spring during construction. The school already had a mold and mildew problem, which got worse for children and teachers, who complain of headaches and allergies. The Texas Department of Health was called in to investigate when parents complained that their children felt sick after breathing moldy, foul, smelling air inside the school.
Doctors say it causes everything from sore throats to a supression of the immune system.
I don't have exact figures. The state health department has not recommended closing the school. Tests show that the poisonous fungus is confined to the space above the ceiling tiles. Fans have been installed to suck contaminated air out of the attic before it reaches the children. But workers still stomp around on the new roof, and use tools which make vibrations.