TORONTO – A group of parents at a Toronto school say their children’s portables have been covered in mould for at least a year but no permanent solutions have been found.
Leaky roofs and mouldy tiles at Secord Elementary School have been seen on a regular basis in the portables used as classrooms for grades 2 and 3.
Efforts have been made to clean and patch the problems but they continue to come back.
“The building is beyond repair,” parent and co-chair of the school council Heather Tormey said.
“It’s beyond its life expectancy. Parents are very frustrated. We don’t know how a building can be safe if it’s still leaking.”
The portables are more than 20 years old and have experienced similar problems in the past. There were issues with mould in early 2013 in the same buildings and raccoons were also making their way inside at night.
Local trustee Sheila Cary-Meagher raised concerns with the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) at that time but was told nothing could be done because of a capital spending freeze issued by the Ontario government.
That freeze was lifted in July, 2013 but Cary-Meagher still claims the board is unable to do any work.
“The province will not give us more money, she said. “To repair the present building will be a couple hundred thousand (dollars) which isn’t chump change.”
And now some parents are concerned their children’s health may be affected.
Nayamath Syed says his seven-year-old daughter has been sick a number of times already this year.
“Unfortunately she’s in the same port-o-pac which is infested with mould,” he said. “She has been in other parts of the school and she’s had no issues.”
Parents from the school will be holding a special meeting Wednesday evening and plan to ask the school board to replace the portables after the election next week.
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