Elementary school’s library shut down after mold found

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Thursday, Sept. 30, 2004 | 9:35 a.m.

The library at Fay Herron Elementary School has been shut down for the past week after potentially hazardous mold was found growing on a small section of the wall, Clark County School District officials said Wednesday.

The North Las Vegas campus, built in 1963, is slated for $7 million in repairs and improvements, said Paul Gerner, associate superintendent of facilities for the district. Three types of mold were found in the library, Gerner said, including black mold, which some research suggests may be linked to health problems in people who are exposed to it.

The mold has been removed and the district is waiting for final air quality test results before reopening the library next week, Gerner said.

Kelly Sturdy, the school's principal, said that in the time prior to the discovery of the mold, the school did not see a higher than normal rate of sick days by students or faculty, but the librarian had been reporting that she was suffering from headaches and after the mold was discovered, the librarian believed that it was the cause of her health problems.

"She was very ill and she had been usually been ill prior to that, so it got to the point where she couldn't even face the prospect of going back in there after the remediation, so we worked out a transfer to another school," Sturdy said. "I hated to see her go because she is a wonderful worker and a wonderful person."

Sturdy said she had the sampling and inspections conducted throughout the school to try to ensure that there was no other mold in the building and no additional mold was found.

"This apparently was isolated to just the library," Sturdy said.

Stachybortrys chartarum, the so-called "black mold," has been found throughout Southern Nevada, including in residences, government office buildings, hospitals and schools. Some studies link exposure to the mold, which flourishes on surfaces that are continually wet, to respiratory disease and chronic fatigue.

Herron is one of dozens of older Clark County campuses on the waiting list for renovations under the district's $180 million master plan, Gerner said.

Through a pilot program approved by the Legislature, the district set aside $90 million in school construction bond proceeds to replace five existing schools. During the last legislative session lawmakers allowed the pilot program to expand to 10 additional schools at a cost not to exceed $230 million. The list includes Rancho High School, McCaw, Manch, Taylor and Tom Williams elementary schools and Burkholder Middle School.

The problem, Gerner said, has been deciding which campuses should be repaired and required replacement.

The district fell behind on repairs and renovations while the master plan was being hashed out, Gerner said.