Kagman school’s health woes blamed on poor maintenance

The issue of maintenance has cropped up as the overarching factor in the new challenge assailing Kagman’s public elementary school, where children’s health and safety have become a major concern.

Dust-like particles discharged by the campus’ airconditioning system are believed to cause certain illnesses students have allegedly acquired from breathing impure air inside classrooms.

Public School System officials admitted that lack of maintenance is not a concern unique of Kagman Elementary School but of all public schools across the Commonwealth.

According to Board of Education Chair Anthony Pellegrino, maintenance worries besiege the entire PSS, adding that the system’s yearly budget allotment devotes zero funding for the upkeep and repairs of school facilities.

Claims raised by community members that Kagman students are inhaling fiber glass particles inside classrooms have been blamed on the school’s infrequent practice in changing aircon filters, which has reportedly caused dirt to clog air circulation inside closed doors.

Community leaders have even expressed fears the congested air has all along been posing as a health risk to school kids as well as the faculty within the Kagman campus.

But no medical proof has been produced to validate that the suspected cases of rashes and skin irritation among Kagman children are directly as a result of the fiber glass particles.

BOE Capital Improvement Projects Chair Roman C. Benavente yesterday begged to counter opinions that the pressing health concern at the campus is solely because of so-called fiber glass particles.

Not ruling out the possibility that the scrap of tiny materials could be what they are suspected to be, the BOE official is also open to the idea that it could also be plain dirt.

After conducting an onsite inspection inside several classrooms yesterday, Mr. Benavente observed that some chambers carried thick piles of the dust-like materials which appeared to be ordinary dirt.

“It seems to me like it has accumulated over time. And it looks like it has not been cleaned. Common sense alone will tell us that if these classrooms are not being cleaned, it will contribute to unclean air circulation,” Mr. Benavente said.

Cognizant of PSS’ woes with regard to maintenance budget, the CIP chair underscored on the need for teachers, faculty, staff, and other individuals to take shared responsibilities in caring for the system’s multi-million dollar structures.

“Funds are scarce enough as it is. So we should all take extra concerted efforts to ensure the maintenance of the facilities and clean our classrooms more often. We can’t all blame it on fiber glass particles, although it may be a factor,” he said.

Mr. Benavente added that if teachers and school staff have complaints to make about PSS-owned facilities, that they should express their concerns as soon as possible.

The board member also lauded efforts by Rep. Tom Pangelinan in leading the rest of Kagman community members air sentiments over the present airconditioning problem.

Calling his efforts “commendable,” Mr. Benavente is also urging the lawmaker to step up lobbying efforts at the Legislature to enable the PSS to operate with an appropriate maintenance budget for the upkeep of its educational infrastructures.

Meanwhile, PSS yesterday began the process of replacing some 108 of the old aircon filters inside the Kagman classrooms.

Education Commissioner Rita H. Inos has tapped assistance from the Division of Environmental Quality and the Sanitation Office to conduct an assessment that would gather dust residue, in an attempt to really zero in on the real contaminants possibly circulating the campus air.