Ailing Teacher Sues

A former teaching assistant has filed a notice of claim against the Sag Harbor School District and its Superintendent, John Barnes, charging that she was a victim of "sick building syndrome" caused by improper ventilation at both Pierson High School and the Elementary School.

Veronica Schirmacher was fired in 1996 for excessive absences - absences she said were caused by sinus infections, allergic-like reactions, and even a hospital stay for pneumonia caused by conditions in the buildings.

"Since I haven't been there, I haven't been on antibiotics once. I haven't had one sinus infection," she said.

Yesterday, Dr. Barnes said Ms. Schirmacher had indeed been dismissed for an excessive number of absences, but he added "they had nothing to do whatsoever with the problems she's saying she had in the notice of claim."

A Misunderstanding?

"She knows exactly why she was removed," he continued. "There was no misunderstanding at the time, but apparently there is now." The School District "did everything in its power to support and help her,"he said. "It went beyond what any employer is expected to do."

Ms. Schirmacher, who is represented by Patricia Weiss, a Sag Harbor attorney, said she would seek restitution for lost wages and punitive damages.

Others At Risk

But she also said she was taking legal action because she believes the ventilation problems and other district practices are putting other staff members and schoolchildren at risk.

According to Ms. Schirmacher, the district has in the past painted walls and refinished floors while school was in session, filling the building with noxious fumes. And she questioned the wisdom of starting demolition work for the elementary school addition while school was still in session.

"Why can't they wait until school ends?" she asked. "God knows what's in those walls. They're going to have a lot of sick kids."

Ms. Schirmacher said representatives of the Board of Cooperative Educational Services had discussed her complaints with the district and recommended that any heavy cleaning, painting, or renovation work not be done while classes are in session.

To complete the eight-classroom addition and an extensive renovation of its elementary school, the district has approved a plan to have construction workers in the building during the last few weeks of school. During that period, students will be out of the building most of the time on a variety of field trips and other outdoor programs.

First Symptoms

Ms. Schirmacher said the first symptoms of her condition began to appear shortly after she was hired as a teaching assistant in the Pierson High School computer lab in 1988. Her problems reached a peak in the fall of 1993, when she collapsed at home and was hospitalized with pneumonia.

"It was bad," she said. "I had never been sick like that before." In the summer of 1994, Ms. Schirmacher was diagnosed with "sick building syndrome" at the Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine at University Hospital at Stony Brook, she said.

Ailments Continued

Although the district agreed to transfer her to the elementary school, it denied there was a problem with the building, according to Ms. Schirmacher. She also charged that Dr. Barnes dragged his feet when she asked for material safety data sheets - information required by Federal law for a variety of chemicals and cleaning supplies used in institutional settings.

Ms. Schirmacher said her ailments continued even after she moved to the elementary school, eventually causing her dismissal.

She said several teachers have also experienced medical conditions that could be linked to "sick building syndrome" and added that several parents had told her their children had suffered undiagnosed illnesses.