Independence School District abandons HQ following illnesses

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. -- Independence School District officials say they don't know what's causing the symptoms afflicting almost a third of the employees in their central office building.

But they're not taking any chances.

The school district said Friday it was relocating its headquarters indefinitely. The district is moving into a former Lincoln Mercury dealership this coming Wednesday, superintendent Jim Hinson said.

He said up to 20 of the district's 60 employees who work in the office building may be suffering symptoms, which have included respiratory problems, tingling or numbness in their arms and legs, muscle aches and fatigue.

It's been hard to determine what is causing the sickness as more people have come forward with symptoms, Hinson said. Earlier this week, he had estimated about a quarter of the work force was affected.

"Obviously, the influenza has been going around," he said. "A lot of those issues can carry on for a long period of time ... so there are some individuals, we don't know where really they stand with this issue, and over time, maybe we'll make that determination."

Since last fall, the district has had several experts come in to figure out if mold or some other environmental issue is causing the illnesses. The cause has yet to be found, however, and Hinson said the testing will continue for several more months.

Hinson himself had to check into a hospital with the same symptoms his employees have described.

"I know what I've been through," he said. "I don't want to see my employees go through the same thing."

The district moved 16 employees out of the building about two weeks ago. Not all of them reported symptoms, but they worked with people who did.

Hinson said most of the sick workers have reported slow improvement, although their muscle aches remain unchanged.

The district moved into the former junior high school four years ago following a $2 million renovation. Former president Harry S. Truman attended a high school that once stood on the site.

Randall Maley, an environmental public health specialist with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, said his department gets about two complaints a month about supposedly "sick" buildings but that a decision to leave the building "does not happen very often at all."