3 staff, 1 student leave school sick
Charles H. Hulse had just reopened following removal of pesticide spray
Pesticide problems continued at Charles H. Hulse Public School on Monday when, on the day the school reopened, three teachers and one student went home complaining of headaches, nausea, itchy eyes and sore throats.
The symptoms are similar to those reported by numerous students and staff last month after the school was sprayed with a pesticide intended for outdoor use. The school reopened after more than a month of cleaning and renovations to rid it of the pesticide smell.
Norah Marsh, associate director of education at the Ottawa Carleton District School Board, said the school board asked the teachers and students’ parents to see doctors to check out their symptoms. Marsh noted that “scent sensitivities” differ among individuals.
Despite that, several parents who picked their children up from the school Monday told the Citizen they were relieved to have their children back at their school and did not have safety concerns upon their children’s return.
Kimberly Anderson said her son Giovanni, a senior kindergartner, was one of the students who fell ill after the pesticide was used in his classroom. He was ill at home for about a month, then spent two weeks at Parkwood Hills Public School before returning to Charles H. Hulse on Monday.
“It was so tiring, the routine,” said Anderson. “The teachers were very understanding and everything, but at first it was hectic because going in there and finding your child out of 400 kids, it was crazy.”
“He’s been through a lot,” she said. “He’s seen a lot of change to that school.”
Laxuman Gurung said he felt “100 per cent” safe having his son Manoj back at Charles H. Hulse.
“He’s back to his own school,” he said. “It’s OK. I feel safe, and he feels safe, too.”
Iman Zaiour said that for both she and her Grade 3 son, Hussein, it’s good to be back.
“For us, for the children, for the teachers, for everyone, it was really hard,” she said. “Now we feel safe, we feel happy.”
The school board closed the Alta Vista Drive school for major renovations on April 16, sending students to another public school and relocating the daycare, where the spraying had taken place on April 10.
It took the action after numerous students and staff complained of nausea, headaches and itchy skin and eyes after Propoxur, a pesticide intended for outdoor use, was sprayed indoors to deal with cockroaches. Health officials said at the time that the symptoms were not consistent with pesticide toxicity but with a reaction to the solvents that comprise most of the product.
Students and staff remained at the school for several days before it was closed for cleaning. When they returned there were still numerous complaints about the smell and reports of reactions. On April 16, the school board closed the school for major renovations to treat the problem. Monday was the first day back.
Marsh said parts of the school that had been sprayed had drywall and carpeting removed and were rebuilt and repainted. There was a slight paint smell in the school Monday, she said.
Students were welcomed back to the school with a special assembly and a pizza lunch, Marsh said.
Some parents whose children attend the school have retained a lawyer and are considering legal action. On Monday, elementary teachers’ union representative Peter Guilliani said members of the union are considering filing a grievance over the pesticide event.