Suffolk teacher sues city over mold at school

SUFFOLK

A fourth-grade teacher is suing the city because she says it failed to address long-standing mold problems at her school that sickened her, other teachers and students.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Suffolk Circuit Court, said exposure to excess mold and bacteria at Booker T. Washington Elementary School has caused severe rashes, allergic reactions and respiratory problems.

The complaint accuses school and city officials of failing to remedy a well-known problem. T eacher Cristina Hood seeks $2.5 million for medical expenses, pain and suffering and lost earnings.

Superintendant Milton Liverman said as a matter of policy he would not comment on the lawsuit.

"When we test our air, which we do on a regular basis, it meets required standards," he said Thursday night.

Suffolk Public Schools spokeswoman Bethanne Bradshaw said complaints of mold and air quality have "come up occasionally." She wouldn't say how recent the complaints were, which schools they involved or who filed them.

A message left for Booker T. Washington Principal Patricia Montgomery at the end of the school day was not returned.

City Attorney Ed Roettger hadn't seen the lawsuit yet, but after hearing a brief description of it, he said it should name the Suffolk School Board as the defendant, not the city.

"It's a school board matter," he said.

In the complaint, Hood said she was hired last summer to teach about 25 students at the school. Her eyes began to itch within days of beginning work, and by the second week she had developed nasal congestion and a sore on her mouth. Soon she developed a severe face rash.

On Sept. 19, the lawsuit maintains, Hood made an appointment with her doctor. She went to the assistant principal, Christopher Phillips, and told him she needed time off for the appointment and didn't know why she was so sick, according to the lawsuit.

Phillips told Hood that "we know there is a mold problem and it comes up through the ground in the summertime," the complaint said.

Phillips could not be reached for comment.

Booker T. Washington is the oldest continuing operational school in the city, according to the lawsuit. It was built in 1953 over an old landfill site on slab construction, which is known to cause foundation settling and leaks, the complaint said. Cracks have been reported in the floors and walls, it said.

Hood began using a dehumidifier in her classroom. School officials began having her floors cleaned once or twice a week and brought in a mold inspection company that found the presence of mold, the complaint said.

About 20 to 30 percent of Hood's students have had respiratory problems, watery eyes, allergies, asthma, runny noses, headaches and stomach issues, the complaint said.

Dave Forster, (757) 222-5563, dave.forster@pilotonline.com