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NW Baltimore parents concerned after mold outbreak at elementary school


NW Baltimore parents concerned after mold outbreak at elementary school
NW Baltimore parents concerned after mold outbreak at elementary school
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BALTIMORE (WBFF) - Baltimore school officials believe the wet weather has helped dangerous mold break out at one city school.

They say moisture inside Callaway Elementary School on Fernhill Avenue, near the Arlington area of Northwest Baltimore, has caused condensation on pipes and humid conditions in the building, which they say caused mold.

The mold has forced some students to be moved from their first-floor classrooms to the second floor after mold was discovered on the bottom floors in the building.

It’s a frightening thought for Shaquana Murphy, whose daughter is a first-grader at the school.

“It’s very scary, because I do know that if you breathe in mold, no matter the degree, it can have a long-term [effect] as well as a short-term effect on you,“ said Murphy.

Michelle Townsend has three grandchildren at the school. Townsend is also a volunteer at Callaway and she said she’s has seen the mold - "all downstairs, and the bathrooms, in the classrooms, and parts of the main office," she said.

School officials say they’re doing everything possible to address the problem. They say the cleanup started last week.

Edie House Foster, spokesperson for Baltimore City Schools, released a statement Monday that reads in part: “There has been a thorough cleaning and treatment everywhere mold growth was found. Anything that could not be cleaned, like ceiling tiles, has been removed and disposed of.“

School officials also said they’ve taken air-quality tests, and the results show that the building is safe for staff and students.

Still, there’s concern for some parents.

“That stuff right there, it grows. So, you have to be safe. You can say it’s clean, but it might be somewhere else hiding,” said Townsend.

School officials say they will continue to take air quality tests and to clean and treat any additional areas that may develop mold.


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