At a special meeting held at 8:15 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 18, the Wilton Public School Board of Education (BOE) voted unanimously to accept a proposal by TRC Companies, Inc. (TRC) of Windsor, CT to conduct a thorough scope of work to assess indoor air quality (IAQ) at Miller-Driscoll School.
“TRC is a highly respected independent firm, with a proven record in analyzing IAQ in school buildings,” said BOE chairman Bruce Likly, in a press release issued Tuesday afternoon. “I am pleased we have signed a contract, and that TRC can begin preparations for its work at Miller-Driscoll.”
According to the release, “TRC will conduct a detailed IAQ analysis throughout Miller-Driscoll. The IAQ survey will consist of visual inspection observations along with baseline IAQ air sampling. As outlined in TRC’s proposal: ‘Sampling will include both direct instrument readings (temperature, CO, CO2, total particulates and humidity) and Air-O-Cell™ microbial air samples (fungi/spore counts) with required ambient and field blank samples.’ In addition, TRC will conduct radon testing in March.”
In a separate email, Likly confirmed to GMW.com that TRC is scheduled to complete all work by Mar. 28, and all results will be made public as soon as they are available.
The radon testing that TRC is scheduled to perform in March will follow a round of radon testing at Miller-Driscoll that the district is scheduled to conduct Feb. 19-21, by ATC. The February tests are being done at no cost to the district because of protocol lapses and test inconsistencies during an initial round of tests performed in November.
As part of the discussion during the meeting, it was confirmed no BOE member had any relationship or prior knowledge of TRC. Likly reported that he asked First Selectman Bill Brennan more than once about the BoS taking oversight of IAQ, but said that Brennan feels it’s a school issue and the BoE should handle it.
Last month Superintendent Dr. Gary Richards announced district plans to hire an independent consultant to examine IAQ at Miller-Driscoll School in response to concerns expressed by some parents. Chief among the questions raised were that the schools had fallen out of compliance on air quality testing and protocols, and that prior test results might indicate air quality problems at the K-2 elementary school. In addition, some parents have said they are unhappy with what they’ve called a “lack of transparency” by school administrators on IAQ issues.
There has been recent debate between readers here on GOOD Morning Wilton, following the publication of an op-ed rebuttal to those parent concerns, penned by Dr. James Babashak, an anesthesiologist at Norwalk Hospital and parent of two Wilton students. Reader and Wilton resident Marianne Gustafson wrote a letter to the editor in response to Dr. Babashak’s opinion piece, and the two have been continuing the dialogue in the comments of that letter.
Copies of TRC’s scope of work proposals, along with information about the firm’s background are available on the Wilton school district website: www.wilton.k12.ct.us.