"We have classrooms moldy from water damage," first-grade teacher Danielle Selegean said Tuesday during a meeting with school board members at the school. "It's a health problem."

There is "good evidence" that the presence of some types of mold can cause an irritation of asthma in children, according to David Straus, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Texas Tech University in Lubbock.

Mold is common in relocatable classrooms, he said. It can grow inside walls, close to water pipes.

Five classrooms' roofs already were scheduled to be resealed this year at the school, said Joe Busek, assistant superintendent of business for the San Jacinto Unified School District. The classrooms also will be inspected for mold.

A tour of eight rooms at San Jacinto Elementary revealed no traces of mold. Two classrooms had rust-colored stains on the ceiling's tiles, located on the sides of the rooms. In one, similar stains were found on the carpet. The spots date back a year and a half, when some leaks occurred and were patched up, Principal Lynn Brickman said. No mold was found at that time, Busek said.

The carpets were in good shape in most of the rooms, but are going to be replaced, Brickman said. Most classrooms will be fixed during the winter break, she said.

Every year, principals submit a list of items to be fixed at their schools, Busek said. This year, San Jacinto Elementary had not requested new carpeting. But after Selegean raised the issue, it will be changed anyway. The carpet would have been replaced in three or four months, Busek said.

Every year, maintenance workers also check roofs for leaks, he said.

A contractor will inspect the rooms and give a cost estimate Monday, Busek said. Resealing roofs runs about $3,000 for each room. New carpet costs about $2,000.

Reach Ioana Patringenaru at (909) 487-5255 or ipatringenaru@pe.com