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Residents press board over visible mold at middle school; supervisors say schools are independent
Summary
Several citizens raised concerns at the May 27 meeting about visible black mold in the middle school gym and maintenance of school facilities. The Board reminded speakers that school operations and building maintenance are the School Board's responsibility; the county appropriates funds but does not manage day-to-day school building maintenance.
Several speakers during the citizen-comment period told the Board they believed visible black mold and poor maintenance at the middle school posed a health risk and asked whether the Board could exercise oversight.
Why it matters: school building safety and maintenance affect children, staff and families, and county-level funding decisions influence school resources.
Colleen Flick, a Sunday-school teacher and substitute teacher at the middle school, told the Board she watched a school-board meeting video in which gym floors were scheduled for replacement but said visible black mold remained on middle-school walls. "How can we send our children to the gym in the middle school when there's visible black mold on the walls?" Flick asked. She asked whether the Board has oversight authority over school maintenance and whether it could require remediation.
Board Chair Edwards replied that the elected School Board is operationally independent: the county Board appropriates funds but the School Board is responsible for maintenance and ensuring buildings are safe. "They're completely independent of us. We appropriate the money. They spend it however they see fit," Edwards said, adding that once the county appropriates funds, school administration is responsible for building safety and maintenance.
Other citizens recounted health problems they linked to household mold and urged aggressive inspection and remediation for school buildings. The board encouraged speakers to take their concerns to the School Board as well as to document visible conditions with dated evidence and present it formally at school-board meetings.
Ending: The board advised residents that the School Board manages building maintenance but encouraged constituents to raise documented concerns at school-board meetings; the Board said it will continue appropriations but cannot direct daily school operations.
