Begin forwarded message:

----- Original Message -----
From: joeandlynda
Sent: Friday, November 28, 2003 8:08 AM
Subject: Fw: SchoolCommittee Letter

FYI--This is another letter from a Stony Lane parent whose child became ill as a result of the roofing work.  I have the parent's permission to make this public.
 
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.  This child in addition to the child at Stony with the blood disorder is at risk from ANY continuing work being done on the roof ( even without glue) while the building is occupied, as illustrated by the asthmatic teacher having difficulties last week.  Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
 
Lynda Avanzato
 
----- Original Message -----

Subject: SchoolCommittee Letter

                                                                   November 14, 2003

Dear School Committee Members,

    My name is Sharon Pyne and I am a parent of two children at Stony Lane School. I am writing to you to express my disgust with the current administration and lack of concern shown for children and staff during the roof renovation project at Stony Lane School.

    I received a letter from Mrs. Crothers on 10/8/03 announcing the roof renovation plan and time frame. On 10/10/03 I called Mrs. Crothers and expressed my concern about the renovations being done while children and staff were in the building. My son is a brittle asthmatic and my concern for his medical well being, as well as others, was made quite clear during our conversation. I relayed a similar situation that occurred at a South Kingstown school last year resulting in the evacuation of the school, three asthmatic children being treated at the hospital and dozens of students and teachers ill from inhaling chemicals & dust allergens. Mrs. Crothers acknowledged my worries and assured me that the children would be kept safe. She stated she had been made aware of my son’s medical issues by Mrs. Schnack and would watch him carefully. Mrs. Crothers later passed on this information to Mr. Cahoon and “the committee” responsible for the project to make them aware of my validated concerns.

    On 11/3/03 my husband received a call from Mrs. Schnack at 10:30am to pick up my son who was having an asthma attack. Apparently the roofers were working above his classroom and large amounts of particulate matter had come through the ceiling tiles, exacerbating his asthma. He was taken home and given respiratory treatments throughout the day and night. Mrs. Crothers alerted Mr. Cahoon that a child with asthma has been sent home ill in order to make him aware of the poor air quality in that part of the building..

    After having Tuesday to recover from the exacerbation, I sent my child to school on Wednesday 11/5/03 as I was told that no construction was being done due to the rain. When my son returned home, his respiratory status was again poor with continuous coughing and audible wheezing. I brought him to his physician who evaluated him, ordered a chest x-ray and diagnosed him with pneumonia. I was given four prescriptions to have filled including an antibiotic, an inhaled steroid for nebulizer
 therapy, a nasal steroid spray and an antihistamine/ asthma medication. These prescriptions totaled $543.26, $108.66 was not covered by my health insurance and was paid out of my pocket along with my office visit co-pay.

    I have left messages for Dr. Halley to contact me so that we can discuss these issues and as of this date I have not heard from him. I have been patient using the proper chain of command (teacher, principal, building director, superintendent) with poor results, hence, my necessity in writing to the school committee.

    The blatant lack of concern shown by Lou Cahoon and Dr. Halley for the safety of the children and staff during the construction is evident, irresponsible and inexcusable. The mere fact that a nurse was not on site full time during the construction period depicts their ignorance toward respiratory illnesses as well as other medical issues. If Dr. Halley thinks that a paraprofessional is qualified and licensed to evaluate respiratory status, metabolic body changes due to lack of oxygen perfusion, lung sounds, and able to administer respiratory medication therapy, then he is obviously unfamiliar with the job description as well as the law. Your own medication policy states that “all prescription medication shall be administered by the school nurse”.

    I was appalled at Dr Halley’s comment to the news media that the consequences of not doing the roof repairs could have been worse than the outcome i.e. children and teachers becoming ill, the evacuation of the building, and the fact that elementary children were bussed home knowing that some parents were not there to greet them. I was home to receive my older child from school because I stayed home from work with my other “sick” child that day, however, I feel that it would have been safer to have activated the evacuation plan established by the school committee and move the children to the middle school to await parental pick-up or notification.

    As a result of the poor decisions by Dr. Halley mentioned here and his careless attitude toward these issues, I am asking for Dr. Halley to be removed from his position as superintendent. This needs to be done expediently so as to avoid having litigation brought against the school department, which would also impact the hard working taxpayers of this town.

    The school committee is elected to oversee the education, safety, and overall well being of our children while at school. Your own mission statement states that “ student learning is enhanced when the following conditions exist in schools: there is a safe and orderly learning environment“. This was not provided to my children and I hold Dr. Halley and his administration accountable. We trust that our children are safe at school. Dr. Halley has demonstrated the opposite and what is worse is that he doesn’t care. I find it interesting that Forest Park was closed for repair by a state agency & not by our own administration. 

    It is the school committee’s responsibility to monitor Dr. Halley’s actions and decisions. I am asking for you to respond to these issues in writing. I am also asking for financial reimbursement for the $108.66 I had to disburse because of the negligence of this administration. I should also mention that combined my husband & I missed seven days of work because of the procrastination of not doing the roof in the summer and the negligence of the administration. I would like you to consider the necessity of having one nurse for every two schools as opposed to the nurse covering three schools for the safety of our school population. Dr. Halley’s actions have led me to consider adopting a medical plan under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act for my child to ensure that any future medical needs are legally met by the school department. I will be lobbying for other parents to do the same for any child with disabilities.  If I do not hear from the school committee I will assume that you are in agreement with Dr. Halley’s decisions and careless attitude. This will then force me to pursue my concerns/complaints legally much to my discontent.

    Thank you for your time and attention in this matter.

                                                            Sincerely,

         Sharon Pyne

        178 Eastwick Rd

          North Kingstown, RI 02852