A suspected mold problem at Pontchartrain Elementary School in Mandeville has caused the rearranging of classrooms from two modular buildings into the main building.

Meredith Mendez, spokesperson for the St. Tammany Parish School System, said the students were moved “out of an abundance of caution.” The classrooms had been inspected five timers since last November, including air quality testing and each test has come back at safe levels.

However, continued concerns by parents prompted the school to rearrange classrooms and move the students so more detailed testing can be done.

Students were moved out of a pair of modular buildings at Pontchartrain Elementary School over a suspected mold problem. (Staff Photo by Debbie Glover)

Mendez said not all rooms in the modular buildings were used as classrooms; some were faculty rooms. Rooms that are intended for use as music classrooms and other rooms will house the students in the main building.

Six classes of students are affected by the move. How long theY will be in alternate rooms is uncertain. Mendez said the students were moved so other companies could perform tests of air quality and other mold-related tests without disturbing the students during the day and without having to be at the school on Saturdays.

According to the Center for Disease Control Web site, “molds are fungi that can be found both indoors and outdoors, that grow best in warm, damp and humid conditions and spread and reproduce by making spores.” Some of the most common indoor molds are cladosporium, penicillium, alternaria and aspergillus.

Exposure to molds can cause symptoms such as nasal stuffiness, eye irritation, wheezing or skin irritation. Some people with allergies to molds may have more serious reactions. Exposure can trigger asthma attacks for those with the disease and upper respiratory problems. The CDC states, “The Institute of Medicine also found limited or suggestive evidence linking indoor mold exposure and respiratory illness in otherwise healthy children.”

The CDC also said that “Allergies are the type of disease most often associated with molds. Since the susceptibility of individuals can vary greatly either because of the amount or type of mold, sampling and culturing are not reliable in determining your health risk.”

“Reliable sampling for mold can be expensive, and standards for judging what is and what is not an acceptable or tolerable quantity of mold have not been established,” according to the CDC.

The CDC also said, “If you do decide to pay for environmental sampling for molds, before the work starts, you should ask the consultants who will do the work to establish criteria for interpreting the test results. They should tell you in advance what they will do or what recommendations they will make based on the sampling results. The results of samples taken in your unique situation cannot be interpreted without physical inspection of the contaminated area or without considering the building’s characteristics and the factors that led to the present condition.”

It is not known if the school board used the criteria stated in selecting the testing company.

The CDC suggests that “if you believe your children are ill because of exposure to mold in their school, first consult their health care provider to determine the appropriate medical action to take. Contact the school’s administration to express your concern and to ask that they remove the mold and prevent future mold growth. If needed, you could also contact the local school board.”

While the company hired by the school board tested the affected buildings five times, their findings are not known other than “safe level” air samples. The school board, meanwhile, is taking steps to ascertain whether there is a mold problem and will then decide how to address it. Multiple companies will offer their opinions and it is hoped the problem or lack of a problem will be determined quickly.