TN Tatem Middle School is a “sick building”, according to the Bermuda Union of Teachers, which defended staff for their sick-out on Monday.

The union thanked the Government for commissioning a facilities inspection report, but pointed out that it was merely a walk-through on the part of the health and safety officer — and called for a comprehensive air quality test for TN Tatem, where four rooms have been sealed off for mould treatment.

“In September, the Minister of Education stood in front of the same school and proclaimed to all of Bermuda that our schools were ready,” said Mike Charles, general secretary of the BUT.

“The report will show clearly that the school was never ready, and has never been ready for students for a long time.”

The report lists 61 instances of “practices that are not healthy” in TN Tatem, Mr Charles said, with “close to 20 rooms with mouldy conditions”.

Mr Charles conceded that parents were inconvenienced by Monday’s sick-out, which resulted in the school closing for the day.

“But it seems to be the only thing that gets attention,” he said. “These people have been meeting with the minister. They met with the minister just two weeks ago and they were given promises of a timeline. When they left school on Friday evening, nothing had come through. There is only so much to everybody’s patience.”

• To read the inspection report for TN Tatem Middle School, click the PDF under “Related Media”