VANDALIA — Monday was the first day of classes at Vandalia-Butler Schools. At Vandalia’s Morton Middle School, school started with students in the classroom and legionella bacteria in the building’s water system.
The pathogen causes a form of pneumonia known as Legionnaires’ Disease.
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The district confirmed the positive test to News Center 7 on Sunday evening and said the first day of class would continue despite the outcome of the test.
It’s the second time in five days Vandalia-Butler Schools have found legionella bacteria in the water system at one of its buildings. The germ was found in four parts of the water system of Butler High School on Tuesday. The district said the water at Butler was disinfected last Tuesday and Wednesday and added that a subsequent test no longer showed the presence of legionella there.
“I just got a heads up on the water issues just a little bit ago,” said Bryan Maxwell of Vandalia, who has a son at Morton Middle. “That just makes me even more concerned,” he said when asked about the news on top of already having to start the school year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
School leaders said they had bottled water and hand sanitizing stations throughout Morton and said restrooms in the building were open.
“They have back up bottles of water,” said Jasmine Parker of Vandalia, who also has children at Morton. “I did send my kids to school with some extra water just in case.”
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The district said disinfecting the water at Morton would happen after the school day Monday so it does not interfere with school. Englewood-based Solid Bend Technologies will be doing the disinfecting. Solid Bend is working with Vandalia Schools and other local districts such as Oakwood City Schools to test for and to eliminate legionella bacteria.
Since July, buildings in the Vandalia, Oakwood, Kettering and Northmont districts have tested positive for the presence of the bacteria.
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Steve Elrich, with Solid Bend, said the company has been busy lately since the bacteria can build up in water pipes that go unused for long periods of time. The company said the bacteria can pop up in pipes that stagnate in as little as six days. “The biggest hit right now as far as traffic goes is the K-12s with everybody that’s going back to school,” Elrich said. “We have some districts starting literally today.”
According to public health experts, a person can contract legionella by inhaling spray or mist from water contaminated with the bacteria. Elrich said people are not sickened by drinking water with legionella in it – unless you aspirate that water. A person has to breathe in the bacteria.
Elrich said given all that, the steps Vandalia-Butler Schools are taking at Morton make it safe for in-person classes there with a positive legionella water test in the water system.
“And we’ve been communicating with them closely almost every day since we got engaged. So we’ve been providing a lot of the oversight to them.”
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That’s a relief to Jasmine Parker and other Morton parents, coupled with what they’ve heard from Vandalia-Butler City Schools about the issue.
“That they’re taking care of it and that’s it’s going to be resolved here hopefully today,” Parker said.
News Center 7 first reported last week that more than 12 school districts across the Miami Valley told WHIO they’ve either been actively flushing water systems in their buildings for weeks or are testing their water for the bacteria as a part of their back-to-school plan.