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The Liberty Middle School was built in the late 1980's on wet land, into a hill, with a 14-foot buried back wall as a ground floor and with a flat roof. Parts of the library ceiling were under a greenhouse and also a skylight. While under construction, board minutes indicated trouble with sub-base materials, water in the elevator pit, need for additional drainage, cracks in concrete, etc.
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School Board minutes from August 1991, the month before the new Middle School is to open, read:
“...the first floor is completed to the same degree with the exception of the Library where a leak has been discovered. It is not leaking in the greenhouse area but seems to be coming from the flashing in the radial roof.”
The brand new school opened anyway with buckets hung under leaks, over ceiling tiles.
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Years went by with the ceiling tiles removed and tarps under the holes to catch leaks. Casual shots like this one of a baby shower for a teacher, had background shots of the leaking as commonplace.
By 2004, after dumping buckets and picking up soggy ceiling tiles that had fallen, Angela began getting very dizzy. She had numbed fingers and toes and eventually began fainting while at work. She worked in this space through summer school until mid August every year.
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Her physicians include:
- Director of Maryland biotoxin center, author of many books on mold poisoning
- Graduate of Columbia medical school, doctor of environmental medicine center
- Head of pulmonology at Penn State University teaching hospital
- Director of a N.Y. State Occupational Health Clinic
These doctors speak nationally and internationally on chemical damage and toxic injury, have treated victims of 911 and Katrina, are widely published, and are familiar with mold toxins and other chemical exposures. They all concluded that Angela suffered from mycotoxic poisoning resulting in chemical intolerance.
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Workers Compensation court ruled in November 2004 and again (upheld in appeal) in March 2007 that she had "hypersensitivities" and then chemical intolerance due to "occupational presence of fungi".
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NIOSH (a branch of the CDC) declared all three school buildings in Liberty a health hazard. Their documentation, along with photos of the buckets above the library tiles, remains at their government site link. NIOSH has no clout, no penalties can be issued, no laws are broken if schools refuse or fail to make their schools truly safe.
http://www2a.cdc.gov/hhe/select.asp?PjtName=39830&bFlag=1&ID=1
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“Health Hazard Feds say mold causing pattern of illness in Liberty schools”
Results of the NIOSH report was the cover of the Times Herald Record in December 2005. Three days later over 100 parents came to the school board meeting. Only one parent was permitted to comment before the meeting was closed. The public left without many others who wanted to speak being heard.
link to PDF
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Three days after the NIOSH report is front page news, the board signed paperwork for a disability retirement for Angela against her will and without her knowledge.
http://www.sc-democrat.com/archives/2005/news/12December/16/liberty.htm
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Her doctors sent accommodation guidelines. Previously when a teacher was unable to be on the main campus, he was retrained and a room was set up in the superintendent's building for him to continue serving the district.
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Only medically unacceptable alternatives were offered by the district, such as serving in the other two library spaces. These were also mentioned as damp in the CDC report, and are currently being rebuilt with a 38 mllion dollar bond just passed, November 2007. Doctors specified that working in any damp space was medically unaceptable. She was also harmed by, and unable to process, petrochemical byproducts and synthetic fragrances.
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The illness has drained her savings and created a huge financial burden. Currently the school insurance company has appealed compensation back to June 2006 so any income is frozen to that date. Major expenses in medical necessities remain unreimbursed. Her health coverage premium alone runs over $1200 a month. Angela continues to pursue a rigid protocol of oxygen, injections, forced detox-sweating, long Intra Venus drips, controlled food and water, and most importantly avoidance of mycotoxins, chemical fragrances and petroleum byproducts.
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Angela faithfully served the school district since 1983, yet she was fired for having a condition which the school district itself caused. They refused to make the accommodations to keep her an active part of the school district, turning their back on the issue, the cause, and the subsequent responsibility of one of their employees and citizens.
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Gov. Spitzer has established a Mold Task Force. Rep. Aileen Gunther has forwarded Angela's name for inclusion on this newly created and important body of educators and physicians.
http://www.health.state.ny.us/press/releases/2007/2007-11-7_toxic_mold_task_force.htm
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Angela has been asked to contribute to a conference for Librarians in May 2008 on how to avoid health issues when facing mold.
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