Monday, July 23, 2007

Jury Backs Teacher Who Says Room Made Her Ill

A Montgomery County (MD) jury has found in favor of a teacher who said she was driven from her job by mold in a portable classroom at a Burtonsville school.

Jurors in state Circuit Court found Thursday that Shirley Washington, who taught English at Banneker Middle School, contracted an occupational disease and is entitled to worker's compensation from the state, according to her attorney, Bruce M. Bender of Rockville.

Washington is one of a number of teachers and students in the county who have reported falling ill from exposure to mold and other toxins inside portable classrooms. In the largest such case, school officials replaced eight portable classrooms last year behind Bells Mill Elementary School in Potomac after 41 students and several teachers reported ailments. The entire school is scheduled for replacement by 2009, according to Principal Jerri Oglesby...

This from the Washington Post.

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