Parents denied school access Mold a concern at Kings High; system fixes coming
 


BY MICHAEL D. CLARK | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

DEERFIELD TWP. - Two Kings High School parents who claim the district is ignoring their concerns about mold tried to enter the building Friday to conduct air-quality tests, but school officials denied them access.

Cindy Bogan and Robin Johnson have contended for months that Kings officials have endangered student health by overlooking potential air-quality problems caused by mold.

Kings business director Steve Waldmann met the women - and two men who identified themselves as air-quality experts - at the school's main entrance. Waldmann handed them a statement from a Kings attorney that stated officials are "not required to grant members of the public access to the operating systems and infrastructure of its school buildings."

Waldmann and Johnson declined to comment. Bogan said she wanted more details about Kings' plans to decontaminate some areas in the building.

On June 2, Kings will start a $1.5 million renovation project to overhaul the 17-year-old school's troubled heating and cooling system. Since 2001 the building has been plagued by mold, odors, high humidity and, earlier this year, high levels of carbon dioxide, an indicator of poor ventilation.

Both parents no longer allow their children to attend the 1,100-student school because of health problems they blame on mold.

The building is safe for students, according to inspections by the Ohio Department of Health and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Both agencies also have signed off on Kings' ventilation repair plan. Work is scheduled to be done by Aug. 22.

School critics say they don't trust the governments' findings.

"All we want to do is some independent testing," said John Meyer, an anti-tax activist from Mason who has supported Bogan and Johnson. Meyer lost a Republican primary this month for state representative.