An Orange County substitute teacher has called it quits, claiming that repeated warnings about mold in a La Habra elementary school were shrugged off by the administration. Julie Coelho, who worked at Olita Elementary School and primarily subbed for disabled children, shared with KTLA that she has been reporting the moldy conditions for years without seeing action taken by the school officials.

In reaction to what she felt were ignored grievances, Coelho documented evidence of the moldy classroom publicly, showcasing a rotting bathroom floor designated for disabled students and a "crunchy" corner on the classroom floor. Using her Instagram account @SpeakUpForStudents, she provided visuals that were results from an at-home mold test she administered herself. Through this online initiative, she voiced her now-defunct role as a whistleblower for a matter of public health, having officially resigned her position the previous week.

However, the school administration paints a different picture. According to an email sent out to the community and obtained by KTLA, Olita Elementary's principal stated that outside testing had been conducted and mold was not found, with the solitary finding being wood rot—an issue the principal remarked, "should be no surprise to anyone."

Coelho's concerns were not limited to mold, as she told FOX 11, revealing that shifted ceiling tiles raised the fear of asbestos exposure and required reporting upon cracking. She even detailed finding mushrooms growing out of a structure's openings adjacent to the playground, and when a dirt sample from the site grew mushrooms "almost instantly," it provoked a physical reaction in her.

"I have brought so many things to their attention at this point, and I don't know how they can ignore it," Coelho expressed in frustration about her communications with the school officials. She lamented not being able to inform parents directly, suspecting a link between the environment and consistent ailments afflicting students, notably persistent rashes and runny noses.

The Lowell Joint School District, under which Olita Elementary falls, chose not to respond to inquiries concerning the allegations. Nonetheless, the principal's assurance about the lack of mold, as mentioned in her community email, has done little to sway the concern among some parents and Coelho herself