Mold was discovered late Monday afternoon at Williams High School, the fifth ABSS school to be impacted. The mold was found on the first floor in four rooms and a closet underneath outside stairwells, indicating a drainage issue.
Williams High School is being closed to students and staff. Administrators and staff will temporarily move to Turrentine Middle while further testing is conducted on Tuesday.
Over the weekend, similar mold issues were also found at Cummings High School and Broadview Middle School. The district is awaiting test results to determine next steps at those schools.
“We want to assure families that the District is taking this seriously and plans to address the problem comprehensively.” said Dr. Dain Butler, Superintendent in a release earlier today.
The district's plan is to identify the underlying causes, including leaks, moisture buildup, and poor ventilation across all District facilities. All areas will be thoroughly cleaned before students and staff are allowed to be in these buildings.
Final testing was completed over the weekend on the HVAC system at Andrews Elementary, allowing students to return to campus on August 28. Teachers will return Tuesday after third party air quality tests were completed and certified.
So far, the District has spent over $1.2 million on mold remediation and HVAC system repairs at Andrews and Newlin Elementary Schools.
To start the year, Newlin will temporarily relocate to Ray Street Academy. Ray Street students and staff will move to Graham Middle School.
The ABSS Board of Education will discuss on August 28 at its regular monthly meeting the possibility of hiring an outside firm to conduct indoor air quality testing and roof evaluations at all schools.