MORE SICK STUDENTS AND TEACHERS REPORTED AT CAIRO HIGH SCHOOL

CAIRO, Ill. -- Some teachers, students and even parents are claiming illnesses related to their return to Cairo High School this week.

Classes resumed at the high school after a hiatus of more than two months. Superintendent Dr. Robert Isom said Thursday some students and teachers are still reporting health problems, despite clean reports from public health and environmental specialists. Three teachers have been reassigned within the school district due to health problems. One teacher became ill this week, but administrators are unsure whether the illness was related to the return to the high school.

Students or staff who left school with physical complaints must present a written doctor's report that explains their specific complaint and diagnosis. Board policy requires the district to cover medical costs associated with the complaints. "We've had some complaints, but all the qualified tests we've had say that there's nothing there," said Isom. "I still think the building is safe. I've been in the building extensively and I haven't had any adverse effects."On Wednesday, parents were invited to tour the building and speak with an air quality specialist who indicated "essentially the air inside the building is the same as the air outside," Isom said.

Some of the parents complained of a burning sensation in their throats, but classes are continuing based on available test results."I'm not trying to downplay the complaints, but I just don't know any data that indicates the building is anything other than safe," Isom said.

The Board of Education closed the high school Sept. 24 after fumes from an adhesive being used to install a new roof caused some students and staff to become sick. Classes were moved into cramped quarters at the district's junior high school while the roof was completed. Mistakes in roof repairs resulted in "some flooding" in the school, and extensive renovations were started while the building was vacant, Isom said. Carpeting was stripped from all the floors to control odors, mold and mildew, and all walls were repainted.

For now, students are walking on concrete floors that will be tiled over the summer.

All of the renovations and repairs have cost the district some $375,000, the majority of which was raised through the sale of bonds for capital projects last summer. Some insurance money also was received for the repairs."The district sells bonds to raise money to make repairs that, if they were not repaired, would cause a health hazard to be present," Isom said. "We had planned to make other repairs, but those may have to wait."