Neglected school roofs teach some hard lessons

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November 19th, 2014 1:42 pm by Editorial Board

The black mold news out of Indian Springs Elementary School has turned out to be much better than it could have been. But the story is a cautionary tale about the need for roof maintenance hanging over the head of local governments.

The moral is that keeping roofs in good repair can save money and avoid potential black mold health issues.

The first- and second-grade pod of the school was cleared after maintenance workers found what was later confirmed to be black mold that grew in moist conditions created by a roof lake in the circa 1970 building. Black mold can cause and aggravate respiratory conditions.

Classes were called off at the whole school for a day to give maintenance workers a chance to move the first-grade classrooms to elsewhere on campus and the second-graders to the neighboring Indian Springs Baptist Church West.

Hats off to the church for allowing students a temporary location in the building.

Maintenance workers were at the school and doing repair work on the pod roof, the latest in a long series of what Director of Schools Jubal Yennie called "band aid" work.

After the leaks were fixed, workers found the mold growing on wet wood that supported the roof.

Air tests indicated the mold wasn't airborne, so instead of having to bring in a professional remediation firm, the county maintenance crews handled the work.

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Neglected school roofs teach some hard lessons