Moldy Classroom Lawsuit Nets N.J. Teacher $1.8M

New Jersey teacher Mary Jean Alsina was convinced that her school’s leaky roof and moldy ceiling were a health hazard.

As it turns out, she may have been right.

Last week, an Essex County Superior Court judge ruled that Alsina’s asthma and other chronic lung conditions were a result of mold in her classroom, awarding the Milburn Middle School teacher $1.8 million as a result of a lawsuit filed against the Millburn Board of Education.

Alsina will receive the windfall for medical expenses, lost wages and other damages, NJ.com stated.

Her attorney said that he expects the district will appeal the ruling, NJ.com reported.

The music teacher filed suit against the school district in 2013, alleging that attempts to clean her moldy classroom were inadequate, and that administrators retaliated against her when she complained about the issue.

The year before filing her lawsuit, Alsina lodged a complaint about the mold situation with the school board and the Public Employees Occupational Safety and Health program, disputing the district’s reports that the indoor air quality was in a “normal” or “acceptable” range at the school.

• See related article: Teacher Disputes MMS Air Quality Findings

She also sent out an email to parents alerting them to the situation and to her complaints, she said, because she didn’t want anyone children being exposed to mold.

"Parents have a right to know," she said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

"Some people are sensitive to molds. For these people, exposure to molds can cause symptoms such as nasal stuffiness, eye irritation, wheezing, or skin irritation. Some people, such as those with serious allergies to molds, may have more severe reactions. Severe reactions may occur among workers exposed to large amounts of molds in occupational settings, such as farmers working around moldy hay. Severe reactions may include fever and shortness of breath. Some people with chronic lung illnesses, such as obstructive lung disease, may develop mold infections in their lungs."

The CDC adds:

"In 2004 the Institute of Medicine found there was sufficient evidence to link indoor exposure to mold with upper respiratory tract symptoms, cough, and wheeze in otherwise healthy people; with asthma symptoms in people with asthma; and with hypersensitivity pneumonitis in individuals susceptible to that immune-mediated condition. The IOM also found limited or suggestive evidence linking indoor mold exposure and respiratory illness in otherwise healthy children."

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File Photo: Milburn Middle School (2012)