This story was updated at 4:30 p.m. to include comments from Montgomery County Public Schools.
Students, parents and staff at A. Mario Loiderman Middle School in Silver Spring rallied for clean air Friday morning prior to the start of classes.
Plans for a new HVAC system have been postponed three times now. The new completion date for work on the school’s HVAC system and mold mitigation is this July.
The Board of Education approved the replacement of the HVAC system in November of 2023.
Meanwhile, the school’s emergency alarm sounds whenever the system overheats, causing the students and staff to evacuate the building.
“During state testing this week, we were evacuated two times” in Tuesday’s heavy downpour, said 7th grade English teacher Kelly Rankin.
“We assumed there was something, like an actual fire,” she said. Later, the staff was told the alarm sounded due to the overheating of the system.
Seventh grade English teacher Kelly Rankin took a sample from a vent on the ceiling directly above where paraeducator Tawanna Nolan sits. On May 1, it had some mold, The next day there was much more. By May 5, the sample was almost completely black.
Nolan, the SIEU union representative at Loiderman, said she recently was absent three days because of all the mold.
“Our kids can’t learn in these conditions,” declared Joshua Rubin, a world studies teacher, as staff, parents and students cheered and chanted, “Do Your Job” to school administrators.
“We have been through a number of smells. We have been through a number of odors,” said 7th grade English teacher Camilla Barillas, adding, “Frankly we deserve better.”
Sometimes it is 40 degrees in the classroom. Other times, it’s 90 degrees, said Rankin, who has had four different sinus infections. “We can’t wait any longer.”
David Stein, president of the Montgomery County Education Association, said work at the school has been postponed three times. The most recent time, the contractor did not have all the necessary parts.
Loiderman’s problems are not an aberration, Stein said. “We have schools all over the county” that have HVAC and mold problems. “We let our buildings decay.”
A Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) spokesperson issued the following statement.
“We acknowledge the frustration caused by delays in the HVAC replacement project at Loiederman MS. The delays occurred due to issues at the manufacturing facility. The manufacturer experienced a shortage of materials and chemicals needed to complete the units. As a result, the contractor was unable to begin installation as originally planned before spring break.”
According to MCPS, as of today, 21 of the 26 rooftop units have been delivered to the contractor.
Work will begin after school has been let out for the summer as the rooftop installations require that a crane be repositioned to various parts of the school property throughout the project.
“Installation is scheduled to begin immediately after the school year ends in June, with a target completion date in July,” according to the statement from MCPS.
Staff, teachers Rally for Clean Air at Loiderman Middle School. Mold, problems with the HVAC system are making people sick, the teachers said. @mymcmedia @MCPS pic.twitter.com/adXXEgIDkB
— suzanne pollak (@SuzannePollak) May 16, 2025
