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System addresses mold, snake concerns at Montevallo Elementary
Published 3:38pm Tuesday, September 25, 2012By CHRISTINE BOATWRIGHT / Staff Writer
MONTEVALLO – Montevallo Elementary parents approached the Shelby County Board of Education last week with concerns about mold and snakes in the school.
According to BOE spokesperson Cindy Warner, the school system hired ServPro and ERG Environmental to do evaluations of the school’s air quality.
“There was evidence of mold in one classroom, but we decided to clean one wing of the school just to be on the safe side and correct any possible concerns there might be to satisfy the concerns of the parents and be positively sure it’s a safe environment for the children to be in,” Warner said.
Montevallo Elementary Principal Dr. Annie McClain said students were removed from the school’s fifth grade wing prior to the evaluations.
“The evidence of mold was minimal, but there was some in there. It has been cleaned up by ServPro,” Warner said.
Warner said the BOE brought in a pest control expert to “correct whatever problem may be going on” in terms of snakes or other pests.
“In my seven years here, I’ve only seen four snakes. They were really bitty snakes,” McClain said. “Of course, where my school is, there’s a creek back there. There’s no infestation of snakes.”
Warner said the school system also sent the district’s custodial staff to fix “everything that needs to be fixed” at Montevallo Elementary.
“There’s just some general maintenance and wear and tear in regards to the building. It’s an old building,” Warner said. “There are some additional needs that need to be met out there.”
Warner said the staff is there to provide additional manpower and support for the school’s maintenance and custodial staff in order to clean HVAC vents/returns, rafters in the gym and other custodian needs.
We live in rural AL there will be snakes – be cautious. we live in the muggy south– there will be mold. HOWEVER I feel that MES does need some renovations- it’s an aging school building and the faculty and students deserve a better building. When the wooded area next to our school was torn down near our school (in Shelby Co) the dislocated snakes temporarily moved to the school playground and 1 that made it’s way into the school.Teachers were on snake patrol — eventually the snakes moved on to quieter habitats and no one (human or snake) was injured. With MES so close to Spring Creek I’m not surprised that they found snakes – Something at the creek must be disturbing the habitat causing the snakes to head up to the school.
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