Suspended teacher alleges mold in school caused her illness

By Kevin Woodhouse, October 10th, 2012

She had been experiencing a series of odd symptoms for the last two months: sinus problems, constant sneezing and eye infections and the problems seemed to only reoccur when she was at her work place, the Gordon Robertson Hairdressing and Esthetic School. For Lucie Vacca, who has been teaching at the vocational school managed by the Lester B. Pearson School Board, the symptoms got so bad this past September that she actually passed out at a local pharmacy when she went to take her blood pressure.
After visiting with her doctor, a series of tests were done and it was concluded that Vacca's white blood cell count was twice the normal average.  "The morning of September 19th, my nose would not stop running, but it wasn't like a cold," Vacca told The Suburban at a press conference she held last Thursday morning in front of the Gordon Roberston centre located in Beaconsfield.  "I felt very weak and dizzy so a colleague took me to the pharmacy to check my blood pressure."
After losing consciousness, Vacca woke up feeling very cold, like her body was in shock.  After going through the series of test, besides the high white blood cell count, there was no other trace of infection and while resting at home, Vacca's symptoms abated.
During her illness, Vacca has been corresponding with her union, the CSST and the Montreal Department of Public Health after her doctor transferred Vacca's dossier to the department.  On Monday, October 1st, she attended a hair dressing conference in Montreal where she was able to see many of her students who asked about the state of her health.
"I told them that I was feeling better and that they were not to worry, I would be back on Tuesday," Vacca said.  "When they asked what was wrong with me, I told them it could be a virus."
She also sent some of her colleagues e-mail updates on her situation as well as mentioning her symptoms as well as the fact that her case had been seen by environmental health practitioners. 
Vacca then alleges that she subsequently suspended from the school board because of her work on the dossier and the fact that she wanted board representatives to be present for CSST inspectors to survey the school.
The Suburban spoke to LBPSB General Director Suanne Stein Day about Vacca's concerns that mold and infiltrated water in the school have caused her health problems.  Stein Day said that she could not talk about "individual students or employees, we regularly inspect our buildings and we take any complaints about internal air quality very seriously."
Marie Pinard, spokesperson for the Montreal Department of Public Health told The Suburban that Vacca's doctor had sent the findings to the department last Monday and that inspectors will visit the premises shortly.
Also with Vacca at the press announcement was retired educator and longtime LBPSB council attendee Chris Eustace who has been seeking the board to set up air quality protocols for years.  At the last board council meeting held September 24th, Eustace asked Stein Day if the board could post on a website the schools that had been inspected along with the findings.
Vacca does not want to leave her students in the lurch but noted that "I want to keep teaching my students but in another location as I am worried about the health of my students and colleagues."n