The East Windsor board will look at Hightstown High School’s modular addition at its Monday meeting.
By: David Pescatore
HIGHTSTOWN The East Windsor Regional School District Board of Education will take a tour Monday night of Hightstown High School’s modular classrooms, facilities that the teachers union claims are making people sick.
The tour will take place as part of the school board’s Feb. 10 meeting that starts at 7:35 p.m. in the high school’s 700 wing. The tour is expected to begin about 8:50 p.m. with an opportunity for public comment before and after the tour.
The classrooms, which are in a trailer attached to the actual building, have been the center of controversy since East Windsor Education Association representative Terri Tuliszewski presented a list of 39 problems in the classrooms to the board during a Jan. 27 meeting. At least a half-dozen classrooms are affected.
The teachers’ main concerns are the possible presence of mold and odors that, according to Ms. Tuliszewski’s statement, make people sick.
Additional complaints included inadequate heating and cooling units, pipes that burst, leaking air conditioning pipes, damp carpets, inoperable windows, distracting noises and roaches.
According to the complaint, the conditions in the modular classrooms have caused students and teachers to visit the school nurse and other medical professionals to treat respiratory illnesses.
Business Administrator David Shafter said last week that the district wanted to take care of any problems as soon as possible. He said Pars Environmental Services would meet with school staff to decide the best way to test the air in the additions.
The board was first informed of these "new" problems last week. The trailer was closed in 1994 for mold-related concerns. In October 2002, Ms. Tuliszewski made the district aware of problems, including more mold. The district claims most of these problems were remedied and that the mold was removed.