Teacher Heidi Engle helps pinpoint an area of a stain as Gregg Middaugh and Kevin Hood, from PBS Engineering + Environmental, take notes Jan. 26 at a classroom at Sky Valley Education Center in Monroe. The trio then marked the spot so a swipe sample could be taken and analyzed to see if there was contamination that could be causing some students and staff to become sick.

Teacher Heidi Engle helps pinpoint an area of a stain as Gregg Middaugh and Kevin Hood, from PBS Engineering + Environmental, take notes Jan. 26 at a classroom at Sky Valley Education Center in Monroe. The trio then marked the spot so a swipe sample could be taken and analyzed to see if there was contamination that could be causing some students and staff to become sick.

Illnesses at Monroe school prompt probe into causes

MONROE — An alternative school here is being checked after some students and staff suspected that something in the building made them sick.

Nine people have complained of headaches, upset stomachs, eye irritation and respiratory troubles after being in certain classrooms at the Sky Valley Education Center since the start of the school year, said Monroe School District spokeswoman Rosemary O’Neil.

The district has hired an environmental firm to look into the concerns, figure out what’s causing them and come up with a fix. Another company is checking the ventilation system, O’Neil said.

“They’re just looking into it,” she said, noting a previous test found no contamination. “We’re just double, triple, quadruple checking.”

In the meantime, the school is running normally. Students have not been moved out of six classrooms that seem to be at the heart of the complaints.

The building at 351 Short Columbia St. has been blamed for similar problems in the past.

The district received eight complaints about illnesses potentially linked to air quality from 2001 to 2015.

The campus housed Monroe Middle School until it closed and Sky Valley Education Center took the space in 2011. Now, the K-12 alternative school serves more than 850 students.

After three complaints were made in October 2014, the district decided to test the building. O’Neil said no contaminants were found in the school but the ventilation system was adjusted.

The fix stopped complaints until this past fall, she said.

During winter break, O’Neil said, the carpet was torn out of some classrooms in case it was contributing to poor air quality.

Workers from PBS Engineering and Environmental have been on campus investigating concerns since mid-January. The company completed its initial assessment at the end of January and is now figuring out a plan to address the complaints, O’Neil said.

The district won’t know how much the work will cost until the company makes its plan, she said.

The Sky Valley Education Center is slated to receive about $1 million for building updates and replacing flooring. The money is part of the district’s $110.9 million bond that voters passed in 2015.

Amy Nile: 425-339-3192; anile@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @AmyNileReports.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Cassie Franklin, Mayor of Everett, delivers the annual state of the city address Thursday morning in the Edward D. Hansen Conference Center in Everett, Washington on March 31, 2022.  (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
At Everett mayor’s keynote speech: $35 entry, Boeing sponsorship

The city won’t make any money from the event, city spokesperson Simone Tarver said. Still, it’s part of a trend making open government advocates wary.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.