Fellow Long Meadow Families,

Most of you are aware of the leaks that have plagued our hallways and classrooms for years at Long Meadow Elementary.  For those of you who aren't, any time it rains you'll see buckets catching the results of years of neglect and that water destroying ceiling tiles, soaking carpets, countertops and walls.  We've been told by RCS and Administration a number of issues are causing these leaks, from roof deterioration to drainage pipes and their connections failing, to the seaming of the roof causing water to get in.  No matter the cause, these issues were deemed critical when the 2015 Bond Issue passed and money was specifically set aside to repair them. They have still not been fixed and the leaks continue.  The money ear marked for our building needs to be used to finally fix this problem! Proper cleanup is not being done and areas are not dried properly to prevent the growth of mold. 

The frightening result of these leaks became present during a recent major rainstorm the end of September.  We once again had leaks in our Long Meadow ceilings and in one classroom the influx of water caused the paint to partially chip off the cinder block wall to reveal mold growing. Administration in the building was quick to clean it up but if there was mold present in a small area, there is more. Mold does not grow overnight and that specific leak has obviously been silently dripping for a long time.  How many of these constant leaks have now grown mold in places we can’t see?!?  Any type of mold can cause health issues for our children and our staff. Anything from breathing issues, allergy like symptoms, frequent bloody noses and even decreases in mental acuity.

A number of air quality tests have been haphazardly performed in a few rooms. This inefficient test with an un-qualified company is not enough. These tests can be extremely unreliable if not done correctly and under the right conditions and are not even recommended by the CDC or EPA to determine significant mold exposure.

We need all areas of the school tested for mold properly with ERMI testing (dust testing where mold spores settle), Tape testing (that test surfaces) and Batch Testing (that test sections of carpet, ceiling tiles and drywall) by a company experienced in this area.  If mold is present we need it to remediated properly by an experienced company.  Finally, to to ensure this never happens again we need the issues causing our leaks to finally be fixed as promised.  Join us in demanding the health and safety of our children and staff to be Rochester Community Schools first priority!