Boulder Valley staff members and outside consultants are rebalancing the air handling system for better air circulation and installing extended vents at Casey Middle School over spring break.
Extending roof vent pipes farther will allow the district to remove carbon filters so the building can “breathe” better, district officials said. The district also is repeating several previous tests, including a pressurized smoke test to check for leaks in pipes and sending video cameras down the septic lines.
There have been complaints about the presence of low levels of hydrogen sulfide gas, signaled by an intermittent stink of rotten eggs, since the school was rebuilt in 2009-10 for $33 million.
“Significant efforts have been made to identify the source,” said Superintendent Bruce Messinger.
More recently, parents and teachers have come forward with health concerns they believe are caused by exposure to hydrogen sulfide and demanded that the district do more to address the issue.
If you go
What: Casey Middle School community meeting
When: 6 to 7:30 p.m. April 2
Where: Casey Middle, 1301 High St., Boulder
More info: bvsd.org
Three children were moved to other schools at their parents’ request because of health concerns, according to district officials. One Casey teacher asked to be moved at the end of the last school year, while math teacher Kris Thacker was moved to Platt Middle last week after telling the school board that Casey was making her sick.
The spring break fixes were recommended by recently hired consultants Richard Shaughnessy and Randy Smith of Indoor Air Diagnostics in Tulsa, Okla. Shaughnessy is director of the Indoor Air Quality Program at the University of Tulsa. Shaughnessy’s final report to the district is expected by the end of the week
The district also set a date, April 2, for a long promised community meeting. Scheduled speakers are Shaughnessy, Dr. Karin Pacheco with National Jewish Health, and Mike Van Dyke, chief of environmental epidemiology with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
The district hired an outside facilitator to moderate the meeting. Messinger said each speaker will give their take on the situation, including addressing questions previously raised.
“It will be a chance for folks to gather information and be informed,” he said. “We hope to move forward.”
There won’t be time for public comment, but Messinger said participants can write down unanswered questions on index cards. Those questions will be asked as time permits, he said.
The district also plans to record the meeting and provide answers to questions, including any that aren’t answered at the meeting, in a document to be posted to the school’s website.
After the community meeting, a small working group at Casey of concerned teachers and parents plans to start meeting.
“It’s just another way for folks in a low key environment to raise questions and concerns,” Messinger said. “It’s really just to keep open dialogue going.”
Amy Bounds: 303-473-1341, boundsa@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/boundsa
