Teachers become ill at middle school where health concerns have been raised

Monday, September 10, 2007

Gene Apodaca
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By Gene Apodaca

(9/10/07 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- Two teachers are recovering after being rushed to the hospital while at school Monday. It's a health scare at a place where there have been health concerns before.

The teachers became sick just after classes began at Key Middle School in northeast Houston. HISD officials tell us the teachers have been released from the hospital, but, it's still not clear exactly what made them sick. Some have speculated it could the conditions of the building they work in.

Around Key Middle School, news of two teachers taking ill did not sit well with some parents.

Parent Andrea Miles said, "You can't compromise when it comes to the kids. You got to put them first."

Some are upset that a school facing so many sicknesses is still open.

"They need to be torn down completely, they're old," Miles said.

The teachers got sick in the school's main building. Both women, HISD officials say, suffered from nausea and breathing problems.

The illnesses come just days after a group of janitors protested, claiming they also got sick from what they believe to be mold in the school. They want the school to be shut down.

Corina Ortiz with the Houston Federation of Classroom Teachers asked, "If this school was in any other area of the city, would we be going through the same problem?"

Inspectors hired by HISD and the city of Houston checked the school and declared it was safe for students. The district also said it had cleared the school of any mold. But the teacher's union wants more testing.

"The testing has not been conclusive enough to tell us it's not mold," Ortiz said. "There's a very strong possibility it could be mold. There's a very strong possibility it could be other things."

HISD officials say they are waiting to speak to the teacher's doctors to get a better idea of what made them sick. Until then, they stand by the previous inspection that also concluded the employees likely got sick from exposure to bleach. However, that does not explain what happened this morning. HISD officials tell us that the air conditioner unit at the school did go out over the weekend, and they suspect that might have had something to do with it.
(Copyright © 2007, KTRK-TV)

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