Now here is where this situation becomes very concerning to me. A few days after the inspector left the school I was curious about all that he had found, so I called him.
Now here is where this situation becomes very concerning to me. A few days after the inspector left the school I was curious about all that he had found, so I called him. He was surprised I did not know what he had found during his inspection and what his orders were. He told me his orders should have been posted and the staff informed. But admin did not post these orders and admin did not inform the staff. The OH & S inspector told me he would call admin the next day and tell them they must inform the staff and must post the orders. Another day passed and the orders were not posted, and staff not informed. I called him again to let him know. He said he would inform admin again. Finally school administration sat with staff and told us what was going on. And they posted the orders - on the principal's filing cabinet in her office. Out of sight, out of mind??
You're probably wondering why administrators would not post the orders where the workers could see them right? Well it's the same reason admin told the entire staff during the meeting to keep everything that was going on with the mold, asbestos and mice to themselves. Admin told us they do not want any of this going to parents or to the public. They told us we were not to tell anyone. This put a lot of the staff members in a very uncomfortable position. As a staff our first priority is the safety of the kids who attend the school. I personally believe the parents of the kids at our school have a right to know what's going on. It's their children in the school.
But here is what concerns me the most. The OH & S inspector told me that when he went into the school in September 2013, administration told had told him there is no reason to be concerned about the air quality in the school because they do their own testing and it passed the test. Admin then gave him an air quality test that was done in 2007. In 2007 the air was tested in Vera for mold. And it passed. But what you need to know is that the way mold is tested for is not an accurate test to determine if the air you breathe is healthy or not. An air sample is taken from inside the building and then an air sample is taken outside the building. The two samples are then compared, if the air inside the building has a lower concentration of mold than outside, the building passes the test. In the 2007 air quality test showed the air INSIDE Vera Welsh contained high amounts of mold and the air OUTSIDE the school contained very high amounts of mold. In my opinion, in 2007Vera Welsh administration knew that the air inside the school contained high amounts of mold, but because the mold outside was higher, the school passed. Please remember that whenever someone asked admin about the air quality, they always said, “We always pass the air quality test, in fact the air inside the school is better than the air outside the school”.
What a way to twist the air quality test results around! Not once has admin ever said to our staff or to a parent that there is high amounts mold in the school, but we passed the test because there is higher amounts of mold outside. Administration is supposed to be looking out for the health of 50 staff members and 400 children, and I say that admin knew in 2007 there were high amounts of mold in the school, but did nothing about it. Hiding and ignoring health issues is very concerning to me.
The reason I have decided to write a letter to the Post is because now that I know all of this information, I don't feel right not informing my fellow staff members and the parents of the kids at our school.
I want teachers to be informed. I want parents to be informed. I want to work in a mold, asbestos and mouse-free environment. I am also aware the NLSD has posted bits and pieces of the OH & S orders and what the testing has found. This can be found athttp://www.nlsd.ab.ca/index.php/downloads1/cat_view/19-downloads/22-media-room/45-under-the-northern-lights.
Unfortunately, I know there are parts of the OH & S investigation and the testing that NLSD specifically did not put in this report. For example, in the NLSD report there are no results for mould tests done in classrooms/hallways etc. There was testing for mold done, but I say NLSD specifically left it off the report released to the public. Why would they not disclose the entire report from OH & S and all the test results? Is it because they do not want anyone to know?
If you want to know what the results of the 2007 mold test, what OH & S orders are, or the 2013 new mold/asbestos tests, please go and ask the Vera Welsh administration.
Every staff member I have talked to really wants to sit down and read the reports and test results. But like myself, are all scared of the repercussions of asking for them. I feel there is something not right at Vera Welsh and it's my opinion that it's always been covered up.
So what would happen to us if we asked to see the full reports and tests? During the meetings where admin and the NLSD safety officer told us bits and pieces of information about what was going on, the staff was told not to ask to see the full reports/tests because “they are long and you would not understand them. We would have to sit down on a weekend with you to go through each page and explain it to you. There is really nothing in the reports that concerns staff”.
Parents, the school and division administration does not have to show you the OH & S orders or the tests results or the 2007 report that shows there are high amounts of mold in the air inside the school, but as a parent I would be demanding to see them.
The staff at Vera needs parents to get involved in these issues... if we want to find out what's really going on, and demand to have a school with no mold and no asbestos.
