School mold air samples due next week

CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) - Great Bridge school officials say results of an environmental group's mold air sample test will be available next week.

WAVY.com spoke with the grandmother of 6-year-old Landon Miller who was hospitalized for three days after wheezing and feeling groggy after spending a day at Great Bridge. Landon's doctor had written a letter to the school's principal, requesting the boy be placed in another classroom and that the problems he was experiencing may be mold-induced from A/C window units in his classroom.

Landon's grandmother, Ronna Thomas, said she is livid with Great Bridge Primary School Principal Heather Martin for refusing to fulfill Landon's doctor recommendation to put him in a different classroom that has no history of mold.

"We even called the school board and which said there is nothing they can do because it's [Martin's] school. Her school? We pay her paycheck. How is it her school?" Thomas said.

Landon's mother says she received an email from Martin saying she is confident the first grade rooms are clean, but is willing to move Landon to a different first grade class, and she's anxious for his return.

Landon's family is concerned the school says the rooms are clean, but there have been no follow-up air studies to confirm that.

Chesapeake Schools Spokesperson Tom Cupitt confirmed the school is only in possession of the original air studies from August 28 and 29. These studies show nine rooms with significantly higher spore counts than the outside air.

"Based on our information the rooms are fine," Cupitt said.

WAVY.com asked Cupitt what he is basing that off of.

"Basically what we've been told by McKee [Environmental]," Cuptt said. He said the new samples should be back next week.

Eric McKee of McKee Environmental wrote to Chesapeake Schools:

"We expect that a further improvement will be demonstrated the next time we sample. The cleaning job is not finished until ... verify the results ... re-sample the air once we have completed our inspections and find no further indication of continuing issues."

McKee also wrote his experience tells him "the smallest amount of mold could affect someone if they have a low enough tolerance."

McKee did not return WAVY.com's calls for an interview and Chesapeake schools would not WAVY into Great Bridge to see the affected classrooms.

A viewer emailed 10 On Your Side, saying her child, who also attends Great Bridge, is now wheezing but has never had this problem before. The woman said she pulled her child out of the school and a doctor has put the child on breathing treatments. The woman said the child was in the same class as Landon Miller.