Indoor Air Quality

If complaints are correctly submitted to FMX, the district’s Work Order System, as Indoor Air Quality, then they are sent directly to the Environmental Department, which is the only department that has certified mold personnel. All work orders are reviewed by Facilities personnel. If there is enough information on a work order request, any incorrect work orders are changed to the appropriate work order type.

If the complaints are put into FMX correctly, as Indoor Air Quality, then they are sent directly to the Environmental Department, which is the only department that has certified mold personnel. During initial inspections, not much information is collected, so usually, the staff member will inform the teacher that they are collecting initial information to help determine the next steps.

The Environmental Department always responds if not the same day the complaint is put in, then the next business day. Please see below for additional information regarding the timeframe for remediation.

Temperature, Humidity, and Carbon Dioxide levels are read using a Supco IAQ55 meter.  Any wall penetrations made (looking for moisture in the walls) are read using a Delmhort BD-2100.  

If a Contracted Third-Party Industrial Hygienist is called in, they use the exact same meters to take the same measurements, and take air samples using air pumps and air-o-cells.

Temperature, Humidity, and Carbon Dioxide are checked, and if there are complaints or signs of water penetration to the walls, the walls are checked using the Delmhorst meter. 

If a Contracted Third-Party Industrial Hygienist is called in, they use the exact same meters to take the same measurements, and take air samples using air pumps and air-o-cells. If there are signs that there is surface mold, surface samples are pulled using tape lifts.

Per American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and/or US EPA, temperatures and relative humidity levels should be less than 80 degrees Fahrenheit and 60% relative humidity. There is no interpretation necessary for this portion. 

Results from air-o-cell samples and tape lifts are provided by an accredited laboratory, and a Contracted Third-Party Industrial Hygienist interprets the results, writes a report, and if warranted, provides the District a Protocol for Mold Remediation.

All the members of the Environmental Department are certified in mold remediation, have been trained to use the equipment, and due to the data collected, there is no interpretation required. 

Contracted Third-Party Industrial Hygienists have met Parkway’s quality standards and are certified Registered Industrial Hygiene Professionals.

No, culture samples are not taken, as they take much more time to process at the lab, and only provide results about live mold; whereas, the air samples that are collected provide results about living and dead mold, both of which can cause allergenic issues in people.

The industry standards are the ASHRAE and/or US EPA standards for comfort are: Temperatures below 80 degrees Fahrenheit, relative humidity below 60%, and carbon dioxide levels under 1000 parts per million. Many, but not all, of Parkway’s HVAC units can measure these parameters and are programmed to run the units accordingly. 

If a Contracted Third-Party Industrial Hygienist collected air samples, the air samples are compared to outside air samples (sample(s) is/are collected within a few minutes of the indoor sample(s) unless there is rain/fog/snow) and the Missouri Outdoor Fungal Averages.

The Contracted Third-Party Industrial Hygienist is called in: if the humidity is too high in the room, there are odors, there are signs of water infiltration in the room, evidence of mold, multiple symptoms by one person or multiple people experiencing symptoms.

Once the Contracted Third-Party Industrial Hygienist is contacted, Parkway’s process is to:

• Provide information about the room to the Contracted Third-Party Industrial Hygienist, and request that they provide Parkway with a “Not to Exceed” or NTE form. 

• Once the NTE is received, the Safety Manager must review and sign it, then it goes to the Director of Facilities to review and sign, then it goes to the Executive Director of Operations to review and sign, then it must be converted into a Purchase Order or PO.

• Once the company receives the PO, the Safety Manager works to schedule the sampling with the building Principal and/or Assistant Principal to make sure that the work does not interrupt the learning environment. The Contracted Third-Party Industrial Hygienist will not perform air sampling while others are present in the space, as people carry mold spores from the outside, and it would inaccurately skew the results.

• Air samples and any applicable tape lifts are sent the same day to the accredited laboratory, and it takes time for the analysis, but often the Safety Manager receives the verbal results within one business week. 

• If the results indicate that there is no fungal amplification, the school administrator(s) are notified. If the results indicate that there is fungal amplification, then Parkway must receive the written report from the third-party Industrial Hygienist, which includes the Remediation Protocols.

• Once Parkway has received the written report with Remediation Protocols, they are read. 

  • Occasionally, the Remediation Protocols dictate that all that is required is a deep clean of space. If that is the case, that is completed by a special task group in the Custodial Department. 

  • If the remediation protocols indicate that additional remediation is required, a contracted mold remediation company is called and a walkthrough is scheduled so that the mold remediation company can provide an NTE.

• That NTE must go through the exact same procedures as above, and once the remediation company receives the PO, again, the Building Administrator(s) are contacted to determine the best timeframe for remediation. Only the remediation contractor is allowed in a space that is being remediated, so depending on the timeline for remediation, the building administrator may elect to do the remediation during an off-time for school to not impact the learning environment.

• After remediation is completed, the Contracted Third-Party Industrial Hygienist returns to perform additional air sampling, which will confirm that remediation goals were achieved. If not, the remediation contractor must keep improving the room until the remediation goals are achieved.  

As you can see from the list above, this process can take a significant amount of time. Each situation is different and each building may not have the ability to move a classroom to allow for remediation during the school year.