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Parents & Students Push Lawmakers for Clean Schools Bill
www.pureaircontrols.com/iaqform.htm
by The Hartford Courant
March 8, 2003
Associated Press
HARTFORD, Conn. -- Ten-year-old Laura Still faced a panel of state lawmakers and described the debilitating headaches she got as a third grader because of mold exposure in her school.
"I would go to school and within an hour or two I'd be in the nurse's office because of a headache," she said. "I would start to get nauseous, dizzy and finally I'd have an asthma attack."
Laura, her parents and her 7-year-old sister, who also got sick at school, shared their stories this week in an attempt to get lawmakers to approve a bill intended to improve indoor air quality in schools.
The bills would require schools to do a certain level of maintenance and follow the federal Environmental Protection Agency's Tools for Schools program that helps identify building problems. The bills also would require new school construction meet certain building standards.
Tougher bills have been proposed the past few years, but they were costlier to implement. This year, with Connecticut facing a $900 million budget shortfall, lawmakers say any bill that passes the legislature cannot have a significant cost for the state.
Sen. Tom Gaffey, co-chair of the Education Committee, said he believed a low-cost bill could be approved this year that would require schools maintain a minimum level of maintenance or risk losing state construction funds.
Sen. Don Williams, co-chair of the Environment Committee, said he believed legislators understood the problems caused by moldy or otherwise "sick" school buildings.
"Just because we're in a terrible fiscal situation is no reason we can't move forward on ways to prevent future problems," Williams said.
State Education Commissioner Theodore Sergi said the State Board of Education supports a consistent approach to indoor air qualities, but is concerned that school districts will need more state aid to implement some healthy school programs.
Laura's mother, Carol Still, said the problems suffered by children who have reactions to unhealthy schools are too serious to be put off by legislators.
"We can't wait until another good time rolls around," she said.
Her daughter added: "It needs to be fixed, it needs to be fixed now."
For more information contact:
Alan Wozniak, CIAQP, President/CEO
Pure Air Control Services
(800) 422-7873 ext 802
Fx: (727) 592-0655
iaq@pureaircontrols.com
[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]
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Indoor Mold: Infectious Disease Perspective
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The New Mold Standard- The PIEQ
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