Mold and Maintenance Issues at Sherwood H.S. Spur Parent Petition

With more than 576 signatures, parent Claudia Delgado is pushing for change and calling attention to the mold, aging plumbing, malfunctioning HVAC system, sewage issues, leaks, broken tiles, poor ventilation and asbestos concerns at Montgomery County’s Sherwood High School, where her daughter studies. 

“My daughter spends her mornings in a moldy classroom and often suffers from a ‘cold.’ These conditions do not create a healthy, safe, or positive environment for learning,” Delgado wrote on the petition page, urging action to address the problems.

In recent years, a growing amount of students, staff, and parents have raised concerns about the mold and poor air quality in the school building, located at 300 Olney-Sandy Spring Road. 

It is a visible, documented problem

A report commissioned in October 2023 by fine arts teacher Hailey Mitkoff identified several species of mold in damp areas and noted long-standing water damage. The report recommended “prompt remediation” and “elimination of moisture sources,” according to a story in the Sherwood student newspaper, The Warrior Online...

https://www.mymcmedia.org/mold-and-maintenance-issues-at-sherwood-h-s-spur-parent-petition/

Mold in Montgomery County school draws staff complaints, parent petition

In September, Hailey Mitkoff, a teacher at Sherwood High School in Sandy Spring, experienced such extreme chest pain and shortness of breath that she had to go to the hospital. She said that she had observed mold in her classroom before, and that her doctor suspected a link. Mitkoff took an allergy test that confirmed she was allergic to some molds, she said.

She submitted a complaint to Montgomery County Public Schools that detailed her hospitalization and the allergy test. It was one of several complaints reviewed by The Washington Post that staff at Sherwood have sent to head administrators, requesting remediation for what they describe as a potent mold problem. Some parents from the school have also assembled a petition requesting Montgomery County schools to conduct “urgent repairs and mold remediation.”..

https://wapo.st/48Ckwix

Some Montgomery County schools have mold as 'chewing gum and duct tape' hold together HVAC systems

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — Some Montgomery County public schools have grown mold over the summer due to high humidity and suboptimal HVAC systems, MCPS Superintendent Thomas Taylor said at a board meeting Wednesday. 

The district is remediating schools across the county and in a handful of spots, Taylor said. Goshen Elementary School, New Hampshire Estates Elementary School and Loiederman Middle School are three schools that were mentioned by name...

https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/education/montgomery-county-schools-mold-hvac-systems/65-c091bd14-eaf0-4a44-8910-cfb6ba181b3f

Wootton Students: Bathrooms Smell, Air Conditioning Faulty

Five Wootton High School students spoke Thursday at the Montgomery County Board of Education concerning the “unhygienic environment” and “crumbling infrastructure” at their school in Rockville.

Ashi Stanislaus, secretary of the student government association, told board members, “students face problems with the bathrooms every single day. There are many issues including mold, broken toilets, broken faucets, and bathrooms without mirrors.”

Many of those issues were pointed out to school officials last school year, she said...

Wootton Students: Bathrooms Smell, Air Conditioning Faulty - Montgomery Community Media (mymcmedia.org)

Gaithersburg High School Opened in 2013. The auditorium has already fallen into a state of disrepair and closed to community use.

From October 2022 ICM Minutes:  

...Gaithersburg High School’s Auditorium seems to be in a concerning state of disrepair. The video projection system has been out of service for more than a year. At this time, CUPF has closed the auditorium for community use, has begun rescheduling current permit holders elsewhere when possible, and will no longer issue permits for this facility until repairs are made....

FINAL_Item 2_0_ICB Minutes_102622.pdf (montgomerycountymd.gov)

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Gaithersburg High School opened in 2013.