HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — A day after the Leon Guerrero-Tenorio administration announced that procurement for public school repairs had been expedited, Sen. Chris Barnett wrote to the education superintendent to share “numerous complaints” lodged by parents during the first day of classes Wednesday.
In Barnett’s letter dated Wednesday to Guam Department of Education Superintendent Kenneth Swanson, health and safety concerns at two schools, D.L. Perez Elementary in Yigo and Capt. H.B. Price Elementary in Mangilao, were highlighted.
“Kindergarten students at D.L. Perez Elementary (are) being staged in a classroom that ‘smelled strongly of mold.’ The classroom – Room 34 – did not have air conditioning. There was a strong moldy smell. I know this because my children attend D.L. Perez, and I was able to visit the classroom moments after I received concerns via telephone,” the senator said.
A visit to the Yigo school by the lawmaker revealed exposed ductwork and insulation, concerns of lead exposure from old paint chips and high temperatures in the classroom.
“I can only imagine similar situations occurring across the district. I recall you saying during sworn testimony that you are committed to ‘not putting anyone in a facility that’s unsafe whether they’re adult or child,’” he wrote.
Parents’ concerns
Barnett also shared concerns from parents of students attending Price Elementary.
“Parents also shared with me that they were alarmed that schools – like Price Elementary – were allowed to open despite what media reports described as an inability to meet the required restroom-to-student ratios. The use of port-a-potties was also an area of concern for parents, who have questioned whether adequate supervision would be available when students use port-a-potties,” Barnett said.
GDOE has gone on record with The Guam Daily Post to state that four schools would temporarily utilize container restrooms as issues with plumbing and sewage were addressed. Capt. H.B Price Elementary was identified as one of the four schools.
According to the senator, parents weren’t informed about self-condemned areas of the Mangilao school and potential risks that warranted the closures. He reported similar concerns from parents at schools across the district, concerns which included the protection of students and faculty from actions of unauthorized visitors.
“Parents have also shared concerns about the state of school safety relative to the lack of perimeter fencing at many schools. This creates the potential for dangerous circumstances – to include acts of violence or assault against students or staff. School staff have shared with me that they lack the personnel to patrol school grounds to ensure that no one enters the school through the unsecured perimeter,” Barnett wrote.
Adelup procurement
A day prior to the senator’s letter, Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero’s office announced that her administration expedited procurement for school repairs, including procurement of supplies to address fencing issues.
“The purchase orders are for the purchase of hardware, construction supplies and fencing materials and will be followed by additional procurement for services,” Adelup said in the release.
According to Adelup, the purchase orders are the first in a series that will be available to GDOE to support school repairs.
“The (purchase orders) are a result of procurement done by the Guam Homeland Security/Office of Civil Defense through a request submitted by GDOE through the Disaster Local Area Network,” Adelup said in the release. “These (purchase orders) were opened on Aug. 16, 2023, and are an example of procurement that will have to be canceled if an amendment requiring the remittance of $20 million to GDOE remains in the fiscal year 2024 budget.”
Mold mitigation
What wasn’t included in this round of procurement is the purchase order to address mold mitigation, which has been an open ticket on the DLAN pending GHS/OCD and General Services Agency procurement since June 13.
It’s another concern Barnett raised in his letter Wednesday to the superintendent.
“Other than assurances that moldy areas are ‘closed off’ or that staff have ‘done their best,’ there has been little to no information about the true status of mold infestations in the schools,” Barnett said.
GDOE told the Post on Monday that “schools were provided funds to purchase supplies and materials for mold remediation and continue to ensure that classrooms and areas are clean for opening for the school year. Mold mitigation is still in procurement, but school teams continue to actively address this challenge.”
But according to Barnett’s letter, education officials made contradictory statements on the status of procurement.
“I was confused when you said you had secured expedited procurement for mold mitigation because, on the same day that you issued a release stating as much, one of the deputy superintendents told me that they were walking through schools to identify mold trouble spots so that an invitation for bid can be issued to procure mold mitigation. To me, this means we are still a way off from meaningfully addressing mold through mitigation performed by experts,” he wrote.
According to Barnett, GDOE has a legal obligation under the Safe Schools Facilities Act to identify, publicize and remediate risks, infestation and hazards at public schools.
Meanwhile, the governor’s release noted that “more procurement, including mold mitigation, are expected to follow.”
Adelup also noted that a meeting with GDOE leadership affirmed that the return of $20 million to GDOE in fiscal 2024 would slow the process of repairing public schools, as the move would effectively restart the procurement process.
A room at D.L. Perez Elementary School in Yigo where kindergarten students attended classes on the first day of school Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023.
