Seven Pasadena Fundamental Elementary classrooms were vacated earlier this month after a teacher died from Legionnaires' disease.
Katherine Pennington, 61, died after spending our days in a hospital intensive care unit, according to the Tampa Bay Times. It is not known where she contracted the disease, but she was a kindergarten teacher at the Pinellas County school.
School district spokesperson Isabel Mascareñas said in an email to WUSF the classes were moved while repairs to the air-conditioning system were made. The air quality is also being tested “in an abundance of caution,” and test results are pending, she said.
An environmental company has also cleaned the building, Mascareñas added.
The Florida Department of Health visited the school this past week and confirmed the campus complied with regulations.
“The district and school staff continue to work closely with the [department] to ensure all necessary measures are taken to safeguard the health and well-being of the school community,” Mascareñas said.
Mascareñas said students will return to the building after the repairs are completed and the air quality is verified.
Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia caused by the legionella bacteria. The bacteria is found in soil and grows in water, such as in air-conditioning ducts and storage tanks.
It is typically contracted by breathing in water droplets containing the bacteria, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The illness takes its name from an outbreak at the Pennsylvania American Legion convention held at Philadelphia hotel in 1976.
