Guam Teachers’ Group Claims Library Mold Killed Aide

American Libraries Online, American Library Association, www.ala.org

January 2, 2004

The Guam Federation of Teachers has claimed that exposure to toxic mold in the library of the Jose Rios Middle School contributed to the December 23 death of a school aide. “Six people have gotten sick, and they attribute it to the toxic mold. The librarian thinks it’s toxic mold. Why hasn’t there been an inspection?” GFT Union Chair Matt Rector told KUAM-TV News on December 31. Several teachers have been treated for respiratory problems, he added.

Neither Rector nor Department of Education Superintendent Juan Flores, who said the charge made him “very, very disappointed and very disheartened,” revealed the name of the deceased worker. Flores and school principal Corina Paulino denied receiving any staff communication regarding the presence of mold in the library. However, according to KUAM, the school librarian notified higher-ups in an October 17 letter.

Toxic mold is the latest in a series of disasters that had hit the school since 2001, when the building was damaged by an earthquake, forcing Jose Rios educators to conduct classes at the Oceanview Middle School campus. The cleanup, which has involved teachers as well as parent volunteers, became complicated by Supertyphoon Pongsona, which struck the Jose Rios facility in December 2002.

Despite the controversy, the school is slated to reopen on January 5.