Air tests ordered for Washington High amid reports of mold
Parental concerns about mold, mildew and raw sewage at Booker T. Washington High School prompted the Atlanta school district to retest air quality Tuesday.
A previous air quality test resulted in four areas being isolated from students and staff while rooms are being treated at the west Atlanta school, which opened in 1924.
The Atlanta Board of Education requested a new air quality test as mold and mildew removal continues, said spokeswoman Kimberly Willis Green. She had not heard any reports of sicknesses related to the mold.
Heavy rains this summer caused the mildew at Washington and schools in other Georgia districts, she said.
Upset parents asked the school board Monday night to do more work to fix the problems of mold on band uniforms, smells in school hallways and what appeared to be sewage seeping from the floor.
“Parents should be able to live in a community where they have a safe place for their children,” Kiana Shelton told the board.
Valerie Sims said the school district should dedicate money to fix the problems at Washington after it spent so much money on the new North Atlanta High School.
“If you can put $150 million into a Northside school, surely you can provide the same for our kids,” she said.
Superintendent Erroll Davis said mold is unavoidable and the school district will treat it as needed. He said spending more money wouldn’t solve the mold problem any faster.
Air quality test results are expected in a couple of days, Green said.
About the Author
Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.
