Parents at PS 42 annex vent frustrations after mold discovered in school – SILive.com

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Parents of students at PS 42 Annex in Eltingville are venting frustrations after learning that the school will be closed for about two weeks to undergo deep cleaning due to a mold condition.

Parents received a letter, dated Sept. 16, 2020 and signed by Principal Brian Sharkey, saying, "a recent inspection conducted by the Division of School Facilities (DSF) and the School Construction Authority (SCA) determined the Annex should undergo mold remediation, deep cleaning, sterilizing and air quality control.

The notice was issued just before Mayor Bill de Blasio delayed in-person learning, but says that cleaning the Annex which holds first and second grade classes will be ready within the next two weeks," which would be just after the anticipated Sept. 29 opening of in-person classes for K-5 students.

A DOE spokesman said he expects the building to be safe in time for the new date set for the opening of in-person learning.

Parents, however, are not convinced the cleaning will be done in time and feel the issue should have been noticed sooner.

Thats a very short timeline to get rid of that amount of mold, said a parent of a second-grade student there. The parent wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal. So, the parents dont believe its going to be fixed in two weeks, the parent said.

Construction began on the buildings masonry early this year, but the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak stunted the work and left the building exposed, parents claim.

They up and left and abandoned the job, and they never came back to it, so they never sealed it, never covered it, never came back to check on it ... the building was left to rot from the outside in and just (got) saturated with water for six months, the parent said.

The Department of Education (DOE) confirmed that the exterior masonry work was scheduled to be done in the spring before being put on hold. Mold caused by leaks was then discovered in the school this summer.

While the second-grade parent did not witness the conditions herself, she said teachers informed her that mold was present on the tables and chairs making the classrooms uninhabitable.

Issues of water damage are not new at the PS 42 Annex building, Department of Buildings (DOB) records show.

There are 17 open Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings/Environment Control Board violations for the PS 42 annex building dating back to 2011, according to the DOB records. These violations are issued when a property does not comply with a part of the New York City Construction Codes and or Zoning Resolution.

When asked, a DOE spokesperson confirmed that the DOB records are out of date. It is not clear how many of those violations have been rectified.

The violations note water penetration through foundation that leads to a gas meter and electrical room and other issues, such as standing water being observed at the time of inspection. The most recent water violation, issued on Aug. 30, 2019, said there was water penetrating through walls, causing peeling and spalling at various locations.

I dont feel confident that our children should have been in there for years, the parent of the second-grade student said. So, to now find out weve been lied to for this long, its the worst, its the worst feeling.

Coryn, a parent of a third-grade student who attended the Annex for two years, wished to have her last name omitted, but said she first noticed mold as an issue on her sons very first day of first grade.

I have pictures of my son in the classroom and the condition of the wall behind him, Coryn said. I took a picture of him and my daughter and you can see it in the background.

You can see something visibly wrong with the wall, she said.

After suggesting there could be an issue with the presence of water damage in the wall and suggesting it be resolved, Coryn said she attempted to file Freedom of Information Law requests to receive air quality reports for the building all to no avail.

At that point, Im so annoyed that I basically got the run-around for three months, she said.

While Coryns child is no longer learning in the annex, she shares in other parents' concerns that the building could potentially be unsafe, even after students are brought back into the building.

My kids not in there anymore, but I would not want my kid in the building unless I was shown proof that it was safe to go in there," Coryn said. As a mom, who would want their kid there?

Nathaniel Styer, a spokesman for the DOE, said work is being done around the clock ahead of students entering New York City schools.

Our educators and students deserve safe, clean schools during this critical school year,'' Styer said. "Our facilities teams continue to work around the clock to address any concerns and ensure buildings are prepared for reopening. Both the School Construction Authority and School Facilities teams are performing repairs, cleaning, painting and disinfecting work to safely reopen the building with the resumption of in-person learning on the 29th.

Principal Brian Sharkey did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

In the letter to parents, Sharkey wrote, Your childs and my staffs health and safety is our number one priority.

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Parents at PS 42 annex vent frustrations after mold discovered in school - SILive.com