Parents of first-graders at P.S. 106 took to the street in front of the school after a city Department of Education report stated that ten classroom portables no longer had a mold and moisture problem. The parents disagree, and contend that the mold will be back.
Students using classroom portables at P.S. 106, located at 2120 St. Raymond Avenue, were moved out of the portables in the fall after serious problems with mold and water leaks became apparent. The problems forced the students, mainly first-graders, into P.S. 106’s main school building and into M.S. 127 nearby, while the DOE cleaned and repainted the portables, and removed structures damaged by water and mold.
The DOE and the city Department of Mental Health and Hygiene performed a walk-through on December 15, and certified the portables safe for occupancy. Parents protested on the steps of City Hall three days earlier, on December 12.
“We know mold can lead to respiratory diseases like asthma, and in some cases cancer,” said Daniel Figueroa III, chief-of-staff for Assemblyman Peter Rivera, who joined scores of protesters in front of the school on Tuesday, January 5. “These trailers are four years past their shelf life and M.S. 127 is underutilized. Why can’t these children go to school at M.S. 127 until we can find a solution?”
Figueroa believes that the mold will be back by summer, and that because the portables are so old, the DOE won’t be able to plug the leaks that lead to moisture.
Students returned to the portables on Monday, January 4. A day later, parents chanted “Save our children,” “No more portables,” and “Children first.” They marched in a circle in front of the school before the start of the school day.
“There are kids who are sick and who have rashes that we believe are caused by the mold,” parent Margaret Gonzalez said. “We want to voice our opinion to the DOE. We want a new building. The [portables] keep getting sanitized, but once it rains and snows, the mold will come back.”
Parent Sarah Alleyne thinks the DOE should consider other options.
“We need an extension of the [main] building,” Alleyne said. “When it rains, there are leaks coming right through the doors of the [portables].”
Parents, supported by elected officials and the Parkchester branch of the N.A.A.C.P., planned to protest in front of the school all week.
Reach reporter Patrick Rocchio at 718 742-3393 or procchio@cnglocal.com
