Preliminary results from mold testing performed at Malibu High School showed “no unusual findings,” a Santa Monica-Malibu School District statement said last week. Meanwhile, Malibu parents plan to discuss hiring their own expert to conduct studies for contaminants at a Wednesday night meeting at the Point Dume Club.
At least three teachers at the campus have been diagnosed with cancer. Others have complained of migraines and skin rashes.
The mold testing, performed at the request of teachers concerned about health problems among the faculty, was performed on Sept. 20 and Oct. 4 in building E, the main middle school building on campus. Classrooms 2, 3, 10 and 14 were examined.
The environmental consultant, Arcadia-based Executive Environmental, found that mold results “are similar to levels found outdoors with no unusual findings.”
“The measured levels coupled with field observations do not suggest a hidden source of mold,” the statement reads. “The building can continue to be occupied and should not pose a health hazard from a mold standpoint. We expect the final report to be issued by [Friday,] Oct. 18, 2013.”
The school district announced on Friday last week that it had retained an independent consultant, Mark Katchen of Los Angeles-based environmental consulting firm the Phylmar Group, “to assume the lead role” in the analysis, recommendation and implementation of testing at MHS. The district opted not to retain Executive Environmental after parents questioned the Arcadia firm’s qualifications, district CFO Jan Maez said.
Students are currently being taught at adjacent Juan Cabrillo Elementary School, and music classes are being taught at Malibu Methodist Church. Students will not be moved back into the middle school building or the music building “until comprehensive testing is conducted to address the community’s concerns,” the statement reads.
In its announcement on Mark Katchen, the district said he would “assume the lead role in identification, analysis, implementation and recommendations for all testing required at the facilities.”
Katchen is described as an “expert in industrial hygiene, toxicology, occupational health, risk communication and e-commerce.”
Katchen is conducting a comprehensive review of the campus as well as interviewing staff to determine further studies that need to be done, according to the statement. He is also reviewing all documents related to the 2011 removal of soil in the middle school quad, which was found to contain elevated levels of PCBs, lead and pesticides.
Katchen is working with a community task force to develop an action plan and time lines. Elaine Rene-Weissman, a Malibu resident and architect whose three children attended Malibu schools, has been appointed as a liaison by SMMUSD officials to bring Malibu concerns to the school district.
Weissman said she understood that Katchen was on campus Monday and Tuesday speaking to staff and analyzing facilities with an assistant. He would later recommend studies to be performed by an arm of the Philmar Group that would conduct the testing, she said.
“I think he will help us organize an action plan that is responsive and open to community input, and is reasoned,” Weissman said.
Parent meeting scheduled for Wednesday with consultant
Meanwhile, a group that wants to create an independent school district in Malibu said it is meeting with parents Wednesday at the Point Dume Clubhouse to discuss hiring their own consultant to examine contaminants at Malibu High. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Dr. Paul Rosenfeld of Santa Monica environmental consulting firm Soil Water Air Protection Enterprise (SWAPE) is scheduled to speak about his experience with situations similar to the one at Malibu High. Rosenfeld is an expert in the areas of soil chemistry and PCB contamination, according to the firm’s website, and provides “litigation support,” typically on behalf of plaintiffs.
Rosenfeld is expected to provide his assessment of what studies should be done at Malibu High School and how they should be supervised. Rosenfeld is expected to be retained at a cost of $5,000, paid for through parent donations.
Task force to meet Thursday
A task force comprised of Malibu community leaders and charged with communicating the community’s concerns to the school district will meet Thursday for the first time, according to a district press release. The task force includes three teachers, classified staff, a student, two parents, a yet-to-be-named Malibu city official and community liaison Elaine Rene-Weissman.
The task force will meet regularly with Katchen to develop a timeline for studies, bring forth community concerns and gather facts on the ongoing process to inform the community.