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Right: Workers place black plastic on the administration building on Friday morning. Tokay High School has been diagnosed with mold throughout the campus. (Jennifer M. Howell/News-Sentinel)

Severe mold problem found at Tokay High School

By Amanda Dyer
News-Sentinel Staff Writer
Monday, June 25, 2007 11:47 AM PDT

Comments (41 comment(s))

Every classroom building at Tokay High School is tainted by a significant mold problem that could cost the Lodi Unified School District millions of dollars to clean up.

District superintendent Bill Huyett confirmed Friday that large amounts of various molds have been found at the school.

The problem is so bad the district will ask the Lodi Unified School board to delay Tokay High's fall start date by a month to Sept. 4.

"We do believe that we will not finish before school starts," Huyett said.

Construction workers found the mold inside the walls of the school's science building on Thursday during a scheduled modernization project. Since then, district staff members have been investigating the problem.

"Every classroom building has it in one shape or form," Huyett said.

Staff believes that over time moisture leaked into the walls, leading to mold growth. District believes the leaks are due to a flaw in the buildings' design.

The district built Tokay High more than 30 years ago, between 1974 and 1977.

Huyett said that although preliminary reports showed that the mold is airborne in some classrooms, it was not airborne in classrooms where students attended summer school this week. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, airborne mold spores can increase the risk of respiratory problems.

Inhaling mold spores can cause allergic reactions, asthma and other breathing problems.

Removing the mold will require construction workers to put a tent over the building to prevent the mold from spreading. Workers will then create negative air pressure inside the building so no mold blows out and use a special disinfectant to wipe exposed surfaces.

The district plans to test the air in the classrooms to make sure mold spores are not present before allowing students and staff into the buildings.

Although he doesn't believe there is a major health risk, Huyett said that he encouraged anyone who believes that they have mold-related symptoms to consult their doctor.

Gary Haas, a teacher at Tokay for 28 years, said he has had asthma and allergies all his life. He said he didn't know whether or not the mold was exacerbated his problem.

"I'm sure it's affecting some people," Haas said.

Sandstrom said he did not know of any students who had suffered from mold-related illnesses.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, mold-related symptoms include sneezing, runny noses, red eyes and skin rashes. Mold can also cause asthma attacks.

"We'll share any information about it with (the person) or their doctor," Huyett said.

"We're not hiding anything," Tokay High principal Erik Sandstrom said.

Sandstrom said that he has no way of knowing how long the mold had been growing in the walls of his school, but said that district administrators acted on the problem as soon as they found out about it.

The district currently has $13.8 million in Measure K bonds, state grants and deferred maintenance funds to be used for school modernization projects. Of the $13.8 million, $8 million were earmarked for special projects before the mold discovery, so the district will have nearly $5 million to spend on the mold problem.

District officials don't know yet whether or not that will cover the costs.

"Whenever we find mold we attack it very aggressively," Huyett said.

Administrators informed summer school students Friday afternoon that they should report for class on Monday at Lodi Middle school.

Mold-related symptoms at a glance

• Sneezing
• Runny noses
• Red eyes
• Skin Rashes
• Asthma attacks
â€" The Environmental Protection Agency.

Changes related to the discovery of mold

• The start of school at Tokay will be delayed until Sept. 4, pending approval from the Lodi Unified board of education.
• The district anticipates that the fall and spring breaks will be reduced or eliminated.
• Temporary portable buildings will be brought onto the campus to replace the classrooms that aren't finished by Sept. 4. Those portables may stay on campus for the duration of the 2007-08 school year.
• Summer school at Tokay High School will be moved to Lodi Middle School starting Monday. A shuttle will transport students and teachers from Tokay High's parking lot to Lodi Middle.
â€" Lodi Unified School District.

Friday afternoon, summer school teachers scrambled to pack up their classrooms and grab their room assignments at Lodi Middle.

"It's a little inconvenient," said teacher Steve Dayton.

Since the parking lot at Lodi Middle is under construction, Huyett said that students and teachers will most likely still use the Tokay parking lot and be bussed to Lodi Middle.

Tokay High math teacher Shannon Hieb said she is concerned about the effects of the school's recent discovery.

Hieb said she used to teach in the school's classroom buildings. Two years ago, though, she moved into one of the school's portables.

"I guess I'm glad I was in those portables," Hieb said.

Students weren't quite as concerned.

"It's gross," said Sonia Shergill, 15, a Tokay junior.

Shergill said she was looking forward to the longer summer break.

Although Tokay High's break might be extended, it will probably come at the cost of the school's two week breaks in fall and spring.

That's a fact Tokay sophomore Ashley Ohls, 15, is not too pleased about. She said she needs those two breaks to get through the school year.

The district will post a new school calendar after it has negotiated the breaks with its various employee groups, who according to Huyett have been cooperative so far.

Art Hand, assistant superintendent of facilities and planning, said he anticipates construction workers will be able to repair Tokay's English and math buildings â€" those with the least amount of mold â€" before Sept. 4. The business, science and industrial arts buildings â€" those most affected â€" will have to wait until after school starts.

According to Hand, the remaining classrooms will be replaced by an undetermined number portables that will be put of the school's basketball court and possibly the surrounding areas.

Hand hopes to start construction on the mold-affected areas by the end of next week, pending the school board's approval. The district will use the same construction company that removed moldy building materials from Lawrence Elementary School last September.

Mold removal took three weeks. Construction started in March and is scheduled to wrap up soon.

Demolition and construction costs totaled $2.9 million, but Hand is reluctant to use those numbers to estimate repair costs at Tokay High.

Mold at Lawrence Elementary affected one building with eight classrooms, administration offices, bathrooms and hallways. While the district won't have to deal with some of those problems at Tokay High, Hand said some of the affected areas house specialized classrooms, that could cost more money to repair.

Hand was reluctant to pin even a rough dollar amount on the project, but said that one thing is for sure.

"It will be an expensive proposition. There's no doubt about that."

Contact reporter Amanda Dyer at amandad@lodinews.com.

Reader Feedback

Coincidence? wrote on Jun 30, 2007 5:32 PM:

" So much for Measure L funds being strictly for North Stockton schools. "

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Coincidence? wrote on Jun 30, 2007 5:31 PM:

" Based on the comments from people that have worked at the school, it sounds like this mold issue has been around for a long time. On 6/19 the school board approved the fist sale of Measure L bonds which will give the district $50 million. Then 6 days later they "discover" the mold issue at Tokay which will cost the district multiple millions to clean up. Then 1 day later they hold an emergency vote to bypass the bidding process for contractors. Coincidence? "

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Lodian wrote on Jun 29, 2007 9:19 PM:

" T&C @ 12:33PM: WELL SAID! "

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Just Wondering wrote on Jun 29, 2007 8:40 PM:

" If there will ever be a class action law suit due to any unhealthy or illness from the past kids that went to Tokay before this got blown into the water. "

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T & C wrote on Jun 29, 2007 12:33 PM:

" well, you're right about a junior college (Delta) trade school and nothing more. The city fathers have everyone convinced it's going to be a big-time college campus, when it's only a front for Gillespie and friends to develop that area into more strip malls and housing. I'll bet it'll have the most modern trailer classrooms and automated porta-potties in SJ county! "

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Douglas R. Haney wrote on Jun 29, 2007 10:00 AM:

" My book "Toxic Mold! Toxic Enemy!" clearly indicates mold microbes subtly cause cancers, neurological disorders, and more serious diseases than allergies and asthma. It is wise to alert the public and keep students and teachers away from mold. If my child were attending this school, I would seek as much information on the subject as possible outside the news media. In 20 years the Molecular Sciences make it quite apparent that the medical community is under-educated in effective detection, diagnosis, and treatment of fungal-related diseases. Doug Haney Email: Douglas_Haney52@hotmail.com "

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Lodian wrote on Jun 29, 2007 8:42 AM:

" Parent: It may be wise for you to be more concerned about your child's health rather than grad date and vacation. I know these things are important to a family, but this mold problem is very very serious. "

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S & W 500 wrote on Jun 28, 2007 5:28 PM:

" Mold remediation is no joke! It can cause severe health problems. Sorry I will mis-spell this, but Stacchi batryus, a bad mold, can really hurt people for life. Leave it to the pro's to clean up. "

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well wrote on Jun 28, 2007 11:52 AM:

" I am sure glad I don't have kids at Tokay right now. "

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well wrote on Jun 27, 2007 10:24 PM:

" I think we need to take the Delta project money and fix the schools we already have. We don't need a JC trade school, but we do need some serious work on these very old schools that are falling apart. "

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To PARENT: wrote on Jun 27, 2007 8:23 PM:

" And you are worried about being on time? I guess it is no wonder why we have so much trouble with impatient children these days....... you understand..... "

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To Concerned Employee III wrote on Jun 27, 2007 7:05 PM:

" Employee Organizations (Unions) should demand to see ALL Injury Illness Prevention Plans (all years), to assure compliance with the law and safe workplace goals. Has the law BEEN IMPLEMENTED AT LUSD? Not having this plan can be Prima Facie evidence of wrongdoing for Workers Compensation claims, especially when dangerous mold is found. Stachybotris chartarum is a TOXIC mold with potentially dangerous consequences if inhaled. Government Code sections 4420-4558. Labor Code Section 132A makes it illegal for ANYONE to threaten or coerce anyone, including employees, to dissuade them from complaining or talking about these issues. "

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To Concerned Employee II wrote on Jun 27, 2007 6:56 PM:

" Even one worker who has been injured or who is ILL can get an investigation going. Hiding the problems by NOT cleaning them up is illegal whether or not money was available. Having such blatant disregard for health in the workplace is criminal. Thats one reason that CA state law requires that every employer of over 15 employees has an up to date Injury and Illness prevention plan for each building or work space written by an industrial health specialist. I have NEVER seen one of these documents at LUSD. "

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To concerned employee wrote on Jun 27, 2007 6:53 PM:

" Thats shocking news! Someone needs to call the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia and the CA State Department of Industrial Relations for an independent investigation. Or we will get the "same blame game". No employee should have to endure unsafe working environments. The California State Labor Code makes it a Felony for employers to have Serious and Willful Disregard for unsafe work environments. "

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Here's a thought! wrote on Jun 27, 2007 3:55 PM:

" I'm sure that it won't be long before Lodi residents see antoher bond measure on the ballot to pay for all of this. Well, at least that's what they'll tell us. Where the money really goes is another question. "

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Concerned Employee wrote on Jun 27, 2007 8:40 AM:

" Four teachers who have taught on eastside of the Business building at Tokay have died of cancer in the last 10 years. There is a long list of illnesses that other teachers have had throughtout the past 20 years. Is this a coincidence. Teachers and parents must be provided a full disclosure report regarding the types of mold found and in what classrooms it was found. "

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To "to wondering" wrote on Jun 27, 2007 6:49 AM:

" Okay...so it hasn't been touched since 1981. A new roof and stucco does not fix the fact that the science building has been leaking water and gas for YEARS and the district has refused to fix the problem. No WONDER there's mold. Does not change the fact that Lodi high HAS been modernized since then, and if they don't have mold, that's probably the reason. "

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To Parent wrote on Jun 27, 2007 6:46 AM:

" There is nothing more demoralizing to a senior than being shipped off to a different school for their senior year. Just so YOU wouldn't have to be inconveninenced and push back your vacation a week, lets inconvenience an entire school of 2000. (shipping off seniors will affect sports, classes, etc). If you had paid attention, you would have seen that they are taking away the two week breaks. You have plenty of time to change your plans if need be. The world does NOT revolve around you. "

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DTR Corporation wrote on Jun 26, 2007 9:43 PM:

" The schools should be remediating the mold problems in the school with EasyDECON IAQD 200. This product was invented by the US Government and is the only mold remediation tool effective in eliminating air borne mold spores. Please visit http://www.dtrcorporation.com for further information or contact our staff by calling 1-602-799-3113. "

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05 Graduate wrote on Jun 25, 2007 4:48 PM:

" I am glad iam out of there. Probably had it bad when i was there though! "

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Former Tiger wrote on Jun 25, 2007 7:58 AM:

" In response to "To wondering": Tokay did have some work done right after it was built. The stucco had some work in 1980 or 1981, and the roofs were replaced in 1985 (I know because the smell of roofing tar always takes me back to my English class that year). If my memory serves, all that was done to fix problems due to the shoddy construction. "

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To teacher2 wrote on Jun 24, 2007 6:05 PM:

" That should be "breathe", not "breath". I hope you don't teach English. "

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Parent wrote on Jun 24, 2007 3:45 PM:

" I hope the school doesn't extend graduation date! Some people have already made plans for next summer and have people planning on coming in early June for graduation! Since Tokay has 400 or so senior class, wouldn't it be possible to farm those kids out to other schools to be sure they graduate ON TIME "

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Concerned Teacher wrote on Jun 24, 2007 10:19 AM:

" Come take a look at Needham!! The school has condemned buildings due to asbestos, and has recently discovered additional asbestos in utilized classrooms. Also, many teachers have complained about "toxic" classrooms in which both students and staff are sick continually. One teacher had to insist to be moved out of a particular portable due to ongoing health concerns. When the district came out to check the black mold, they claimed it was not a concern. "

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To wondering wrote on Jun 24, 2007 9:31 AM:

" Because Lodi has had remodeling/modernization since Tokay was built. Tokay's buildings have not been touched since the day they were finished. Whoa Nellie...that's the ADMIN building, not one of the classroom buildings. Read. "

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wondering wrote on Jun 23, 2007 8:03 PM:

" Tokay High is a lot newer than Lodi High so why the mold problem there and not Lodi? "

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2006 graduate student wrote on Jun 23, 2007 6:33 PM:

" WOW i didn't know my old school was so dirty. ewewewewewewe "

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E. wrote on Jun 23, 2007 5:11 PM:

" @ Teacher: that comment got a good laugh from me. thank you. "

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Whoa Nellie! wrote on Jun 23, 2007 4:19 PM:

" Wow, good point T&C about the two labor workers. Two possibilities: 1) the mold leves really aren't that bad, or 2) the workers are undocumented. OK- mayber a third; they are stupid. "

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Whoa Nellie! wrote on Jun 23, 2007 4:12 PM:

" This is a typical example of shoddy consturction work done in the mid 70's until now. You dont see these problems in older schools like Lodi High, Lodi Middle, Vinewood, Reese, etc. And all of that cement block at Tokay has a trillion nooks, cranies, and holes for water to turn to mold with no sunlight or venilation. "

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CONCERNED PARENT wrote on Jun 23, 2007 1:55 PM:

" WOW! TAKE A LOOK AT THAT, CITY OF GALT! DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THEY NEED TO DEMOLISH THE SCHOOL (LIKE THE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF GALT BUILDING HAD TO BE). ABATEMENT, CLEANUP, RECONSTRUCTION . . . . AGAIN, WOW! "

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For how many years? wrote on Jun 23, 2007 11:14 AM:

" I wonder if LUSD Risk Management will start reviewing old claims to learn if there were more injured or ill workers? "

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Oscar wrote on Jun 23, 2007 11:08 AM:

" This mold problem has been blown way out of proportion. Air borne mold is everywhere. The attorneys have made it an issue because they have made big money. I just read an article that the big money has gone away on this issue when the last jury trial awarded $1.00 to the plaintiff. It will follow the same path as the asbestos issue. My guess is that there is more mold in your own bathroom than Tokay High School. "

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To T&C wrote on Jun 23, 2007 10:51 AM:

" That's the admin building. The picture really has nothing to do with the article at all, except that its on Tokay's campus. If you would read the article, they discovered it in the SCIENCE building, and then subsequently found it had infected the other CLASSROOM buildings. Of course we make sure nothing so terrible would happen to our administrators. The classroom buildings aren't as important...they only house students and teachers. "

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teacher2 wrote on Jun 23, 2007 10:34 AM:

" This is nothing new. I taught at Tokay 8 years ago and they had a mold problem then. I have an allergy to mold and within 30 minutes of entering a classroom I could barely breath. If they say it is bad at Tokay, imagine how terrible it is at Lodi High. "

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Delta Instructor wrote on Jun 23, 2007 9:46 AM:

" Makes me wonder if this is another example of maintenance budgets that were cut and it is now coming back to haunt the district. "

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TEXAS RANGER wrote on Jun 23, 2007 8:58 AM:

" The high schools in the actual city of Lodi are so out dated. I find it interesting that they expect kids to go to school in these conditions and then get so angry when they become ill and miss school. Something needs to be done. Maybe the city of Lodi should help the district out and fix up the elementry and high schools schools before they spend money on a portable college campus! Education starts from the bottom and works its way up, not the reverse. "

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Teacher wrote on Jun 23, 2007 8:34 AM:

" I know Tokay has some old teachers, but calling them a mold problem is a little extreme. "

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graduated senior wrote on Jun 23, 2007 7:38 AM:

" wow!! they should check all of the schools!! i'm pretty sure that lodi has a few more unhealthy mold problems, just take a look at lodi high. "

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Taxpayer & Citizen wrote on Jun 23, 2007 7:37 AM:

" This isn't just a cleanup problem alone. It needs to be removed and disposed of according to the EPA regulations, and then assure the proper authorities that it's not going to return again. This isn't a job for rookies, but a serious problem to be handled by those certified in mold, fungus and asbestosis removal. "

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Taxpayer & Citizen wrote on Jun 23, 2007 7:31 AM:

" Why are those two men working around that mold and contamination without protective clothing and breathing apparatus? Seems you'd hire professionals qualified to do this removal work and not some local inexperienced men like these. This is a very serious problem and dub...yahs solution of plastic and duct tape aren't going to work here. If it's airborne, I'd suggest removing all the HVAC ductwork and either cleaning it or replacing it. "

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