Parents and school district administrators say the persistent problem of mysterious odors returned Monday to Northport Middle School.
The odors were reported in two classrooms, the district said, in classrooms for sixth and seventh graders.
As a result, the district said, it will bring in an outside consultant for further review and expect to provide an update to our community once their review is complete. A statement from Superintendent Robert Banzer said that it was possible that the heavy rain of the last couple of days might have been a factor behind the latest problem.
Parents, however, have been complaining about the odor problem for some time, some over decades, and plan to assemble outside the school Thursday to demand a solution. “Children have been getting headaches, sick to their stomach and there has even been an emergency room visit. The parents want their children removed from the school,” an email to HuntingtonNow.com read.
The statement from Superintendent Robert Banzer said, “When district personnel learn of a potential indoor air quality issue (IAQ), we follow certain procedures to help us determine what might be the cause of the issue in a building that is 65 years old. Those protocols include a progression that starts with the building team and district personnel inspecting the classroom looking for the potential cause.
The two affected rooms were G-51, which is a newly renovated science room, and L-83, which is located in the back of the school building.
Another parent wrote,