Teachers and parents of students attending T.N. Tatem Middle School staged a sit-in protest yesterday after a report claimed that mould in the building posed no immediate threat to health.

Protesters insisted that the school needed to be closed and students temporarily relocated so the mould can be removed.

The Department of Education decided to close the school for the day and honoured the teachers’ request to release the results of the Indoor Air Quality Assessment on a small number of classrooms, which found Aspergillus, Penicillium as well as toxigenic moulds Chaetomium and Stachybotrys present.

While the government report said there was no immediate threat, students and staff were becoming sick. Education minister Wayne Scott said yesterday that he did not want the report to minimise the concerns around T.N. Tatem, but made no mention of closing the school.

One teacher said she had experienced multiple symptoms related to the mould. She said: “You can smell an odour immediately, I feel dizzy headaches, I have had loss of voice, chest pains, ears ringing and irritation — I have gone through this personally. I have been to see the doctor, I have been tested positive with the moulds that are present. I have seen mould present from ceiling to walls to floor. When it affects me I can be off from days to weeks. I hope it will be rectified.”

One pupil, Raviunna Lutchman, had an allergic reaction to the mould and has had to stay at home. Raviunna’s mother, Keyla, said: “When I brought her in on Tuesday she started to really cry. My daughter is the type of child who loves school. She is a role model and has not been in trouble in school. She just started to cry and begged me, ‘I can’t do it today, I cannot be in this school today’.

“Her sinuses were acting up. Her nose was starting to burn then she started to get headaches. By the time we left here my daughter was hysterical. The doctor gave me a note saying they believed that she had an allergic reaction to the mould that is here and she has to go to a specialist to have her sinuses tested to see if there has been any damage. She has been having problems for a little while now. I am noticing it is getting worse. She is losing out on her education.”

Raviunna added: “I didn’t want to stay in the environment so my mom took me to the doctor to get some medicine. I hope they can fix it so I can get back to school.”

Parent David Minors said when parents raised the issue of getting the entire school tested and treated, the Minister of Education Wayne Scott kept referring to the report’s assertion that there was no immediate threat.

He said: “We felt it was necessary to show our support for the students and teachers and let the Government know that we are not going to allow them to be exposed to a sick building. The report indicated that there is no immediate threat. However, they don’t take into consideration the ongoing health issues students and teachers are experiencing. A threat is still a threat — we have people getting sick.”

The report said: “Levels of airborne mould throughout were lower than those observed outdoors, although there are concerns with regards to the dominant levels of Aspergillus / Penicillium in classroom 204 and the art classroom supply rooms. This suggests that a reservoir is present in each of these areas.”

It also found the toxigenic moulds Chaetomium and Stachybotrys in the art classroom.

PTA president Amin Smith said the best option would be to get the children out of the school and start work immediately.

Mr Smith said: “There is physical evidence of people getting sick. After going to the auditorium my eyes were red. My daughter has been experiencing headaches at the school — it has just started and it is getting worse. One of our PTA member’s son is asthmatic — he hadn’t used his pump for five years but after he started coming to this school he started using it and now he is sick. We want it sorted out asap. We want to get out of the building.”

Mr Scott said: “Our school teams are monitoring the developments at T.N. Tatem and providing assistance to the principal where needed. We are also taking action on some of the urgent items outlined in the report.

“I want to stress, that under no circumstances do I want this report, in any way, to minimise the concerns around T.N. Tatem. “All issues and concerns are deemed important and are being taken seriously. I can assure parents, teachers and students that we will be taking immediate steps to address their concerns.”