Commack counselor says ‘black mold’ in school caused her lung disease

A veteran school guidance counselor has launched a legal strike against Commack schools, alleging in court papers filed in Suffolk County Supreme Court that “extensive” black mold and persistent water damage at Commack Middle School caused her to develop a chronic, life-altering lung disease.

Denise Pihlkar, a district employee for nearly 20 years, is demanding judicial intervention to freeze maintenance records and unmask the outside contractors she blames for the “dangerous condition” at the middle school.

In the court papers, Pihlkar says that physician has diagnosed as having systemic pulmonary sarcoidosis — a chronic inflammatory disease of the lungs — linked to “prolonged mold exposure” in her school office,

A “Dangerous” Environment

The guidance counselor paints a troubling picture of the conditions at the 700 Vanderbilt Parkway school building. She alleges that for over from 2012-2024, she had to “inhale and ingest black mold” in a windowless office that lacked proper ventilation.

“A physician conclusively determined that the prolonged mold exposure in my office as a guidance counselor on the premises contributed to the causation of my systemic pulmonary sarcoidosis,” she says in the court papers filed on Wednesday. “I recall mold remediation companies being hired to fix the condition, but it was not remedied.

“As my injuries were caused by the premises’ dangerous condition, and as such caused me to fall ill, I believe I have a meritorious case,” she continues. “To that end, my attorneys are preparing to initiate a lawsuit on my behalf.”

The petition claims that after a major rainstorm, walls and carpets were stripped to reveal “extensive mold throughout the suite.” Pihlkar further alleges the mold hazard is not a thing of the past; she claims mold was discovered in her current office’s heating unit and windowsills during the 2025-2026 school year.

Pihlkar’s legal team is moving to compel the Commack Union Free School District to surrender its records with a goal to identify and sue the private remediation, plumbing and construction firms that allegedly failed to fix the school’s water damage.

Pihlkar’s attorneys at Dell & Dean, PLLC, are asking the court to take the following measures:

• Freeze and produce all documentation regarding mold and water damage from June 2022 to the present.

• Prevent the destruction or alteration of any maintenance logs.

• Identify every third-party entity that performed work on the “premises.”

The school district has not yet filed a formal response to the petition. Additionally, district officials have not yet replied to Greater Long Island’s request for comment.

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