After years of speculation from parents and community members, testing during summer 2018 confirmed there is mold presence at Waynesburg Central Elementary School, which has contaminated both the basement and some classrooms on the ground-level.

The issue was announced during the school board meeting held Aug. 21, where Superintendent Helen McCracken addressed concerned community members and the general public. McCracken gave information about the mold presence and the school board’s plans to remedy it: including not allowing children to sit directly on the floor, potential carpet removal and dehumidifiers.

McCracken blames the mold infestation on both the carpeting throughout the school and the “damp and marshy” land on which the school was built about 22 years ago. According to an official statement released by McCracken, the mold has “plagued our district schools, with emphasis on WCES since the opening of the building.”

Lori Patterson, who runs a local daycare, has built a relationship with many of the students who have attended the elementary school over the years. Patterson’s son also attended the school when it was first built, and she said she has seen the mold’s detrimental effects on children’s health.

“Two of the children I care for are my nieces, and as soon as school started, they began having  sniffles and watery eyes. They’ve been diagnosed with allergies, but they’re healthy any other time,” Patterson said. “I have to ask, do they really have allergies, or is it something in the school?”

Patterson’s active son was one of many students at the school who was told he has sports-induced asthma. Patterson said he only showed symptoms of the illness when he played sports and other activities indoors at school.

Patterson said that in the past, parents have tried to rally together and force the school to remedy the mold, but the school “swept it under the rug,” telling parents at the time that the issue was not related to mold at all.

“I hated it,” Patterson said. “We felt like our backs were up against the wall.”

When her son had finally moved onto Margaret-Bell Miller Middle School, Patterson said his sports-induced asthma disappeared.

“The symptoms were just gone,” Patterson said. “It was like a miracle.”

After the school board meeting this summer, further media attention was given to the mold issue. Many parents took to social media, looking for answers. Patterson believes the solution is for the school to communicate better.

“They need to be honest with the parents and the community. I don’t want to deal with the arguments and the hearsay,” Patterson said. “You lean to the superintendent, principals and the teachers to see what is true and what isn’t. You lean to the school board to say what you believe to be truth.”

Patterson hopes the school will become more transparent about what they are doing to protect student safety and long-term well-being.

“We want to see what is being done, more testing and exact answers,” Patterson said. “We really just want to see this whole thing resolved.”