BIDDEFORD — Air quality tests conducted on Dec. 1 in 13 rooms at Biddeford High School show airborne spore levels were low overall, according to Air Quality Management Services, Inc., the company the School Department hired to do the tests. More air sample testing will be conducted this week to test for particulates in the air.

The testing was conducted in response to numerous complaints about air quality at the school that were recently heard by the school board.

One classroom, Room 105, did exhibit slightly elevated levels of Aspergillus/Penicillium-like spores, according to Nick Ferrala, an industrial hygienist with Air Quality Management Services, Inc.

In his report, Ferrala recommended that Room 105 should undergo a detailed cleaning by HEPA vacuuming and damp wiping of all surfaces and contents with a mild detergent.

Roberta Bernier, whose daughter Kelsie is one of the students who have reported severe allergic reactions while attending classes at BHS, said her daughter became sick while attending a class in Room 105 on Friday.

That was the first time her daughter had returned to school since an earlier allergic reaction she experienced there on Nov. 29. On that day, her symptoms required that she be brought to Southern Maine Medical Center.

Room 105 was the same room in which her daughter became ill on Nov. 29, said Roberta Bernier, in a telephone interview Monday.

Her daughter will remain out of school indefinitely, she said.

Roberta Bernier said she believes the School Department should hire another company to test the air quality and see if it comes back with different results.

Particulate air sampling ”“ particularly for crystalline silica, which is toxic and could be present at the school because of ongoing renovations at BHS ”“ is scheduled for this week, said Superintendent of Schools Sarah-Jane Poli.

That testing was delayed, she said, because special material was required and had to be ordered.

However, Roberta Bernier said, she believes those tests will be distorted and won’t reflect real classroom conditions because of more extensive cleaning taking place at the school.

Air quality and mold is not a new problem at Biddeford High School, said Chad Wells, a former teacher. Wells said he taught at the high school for several years until he left in 2009.

Wells recalled that several times a year, maintenance employees would replace water-damaged ceiling tiles in his classroom. However, every time it rained, the problem reappeared, he said.

Wells said he had symptoms such as breaking out in a rash and difficulty breathing while teaching at the school. He said went to WorkWell to be tested for allergies and nothing was found. WorkWell is the clinic where school staff is directed by the School Department for some illnesses.

It was a different story when he went to his own physician, said Wells. That doctor, he said, believed Wells was having an allergic reaction related to mold in the classroom.

Wells said some of his colleagues also had reactions, but were afraid to come forward because they feared repercussions.

Because little was being done to correct the problems at the high school, said Wells, “I think it caused a feeling of helplessness” among the BHS faculty.

Poli said Monday that no negative consequences have come to teachers who have reported allergic reactions. She said she is encouraging teachers who have health concerns related to the school to report problems and see a physician.

In addition, said Poli, when problems were reported in the past, air quality testing was conducted.

Poli said cleaning and other precautions are being taken at the high school.

“I don’t know what else we can do,” she said. “That’s why we’re renovating the school.”

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.