School gets clean bill of health

ENGLISHTOWN — The Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District Board of Education has announced that there is no longer any mold at the Milford Brook School, Globar Terrace.

"Milford Brook is 100 percent complete," Business Administrator Joseph F. Passiment Jr. said during an Aug. 28 board meeting.

Board member Diane Padlo asked if the carpet situation had been totally remediated and Passiment replied that it has been addressed.

"We did it in less than a year’s time," Padlo said. "The public should be very happy that we could do that."

Exactly one year ago, on Labor Day weekend 2000, mold was discovered in several classrooms at the Milford Brook School. An attempt, at that time, to rectify the situation by using cleaning materials created other problems as some staff members and students claimed they were having an adverse reaction to the cleaning materials.

Students and staff members were removed from the affected classrooms, and classes were relocated to other areas of the school while the cleanup continued.

On Sept. 19, 2000, Manalapan Health Officer David Richardson said he was told the carpets would be removed from the affected rooms.

At that time, Superintendent of Schools Joseph Scozzari said carpeting would be removed in 12 rooms.

In October 2000, Esther Peck, speaking on behalf of the Milford Brook faculty, asked that additional carpets be removed.

Last week, Passiment said approximately 18 classrooms at Milford Brook have had Powerbond carpeting installed to replace the carpeting that was previously in place.

"This type of carpeting is mold resistant," the business administrator said.

Additionally, vinyl composition tile has been used to replace mold-prone carpets in several rooms.

Passiment noted that representatives of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration observed the procedures earlier in the year and determined the district was using the proper methods to do the cleanup.

"The district now spends $135,000 to monitor the air quality in all of the schools," said Passiment. "This is done through the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system."

During the Aug. 28 board meeting, Vince Pietrucha, director of physical plants, suggested to the board that the K-3 schools, as part of their reading program, should have a corner of the classroom where children can go when teachers read to them.

For many years teachers have brought in pieces of carpeting which did not adhere to fire requirements, administrators said.

"In the past teachers were not allowed to bring these materials," said Pietrucha. "Because of last year’s mold problems, the board said it did not want any floor covering replacements to be in the form of carpeting. We have rooms in the Clark Mills School and the Taylor Mills School that do not have anything, but the teachers would desire to have something down."

Pietrucha suggested having Powerbond carpeting installed in a 12-by-12-foot section in every classroom in those schools.

Board member Martin Spindel said he would like financial information and feedback from the teachers before making a decision.

Padlo said she believes there has to be more thought about the idea.

Board member Michele Stipelman said she did not like the idea. Stipelman said there are some children who have asthma and said this option may have an effect on those children.

Board members decided to continue examining the possibility of creating a small carpeted area in the classrooms.

— Dave Benjamin