BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Sweet Home Central School District said a type of mold and/or fungus has been found growing in multiple classrooms at Willow Ridge Elementary.
The district sent a letter to parents Thursday afternoon to make them aware of the issue.
In the letter, district leaders said the mold was found on some wood surfaces and fabrics in classrooms in the 300 wing of the building. They said the classrooms were cleaned earlier in the summer and sealed off until this week.
The letter says evidence of mold was also found in another classroom in the 200 wing and a music room.
“I assure you — nobody will enter that building until it's ready to go and safe for everyone,” remarked Michael Ginestre, superintendent, Sweet Home Central School District
An inspection of the crawl space underneath Willow Ridge reportedly found standing water, causing the humidity underneath the building to be near 100 percent.
“So, upon further inspection, as we're trying to figure out and pinpoint the problem, we go into the crawl space at Willow Ridge and notice a lot of standing water down there and humidity level near 100 percent,” explained Ginestre. “It’s been a wetter summer. It's been very humid this summer and I think all of that is conducive to having water build up under the building."
The superintendent says testing for moisture and air quality will continue to make sure it is safe for everyone before the school opens.
“I heard from some parents. They appreciated the letter. They had some questions, but for the most part, we will keep them informed every step of the way of what's going on and let them know," said Ginestre.
The district said it is working around the clock to make sure the issue is resolved. It said the school is on track to solve the issue and have the school open on Tuesday.
“We should have that building clean, top to bottom, every inch of that building will be clean,” remarked Ginestre.
The first day of school at Willow Ridge is Tuesday, September 3, but if the problem is not cleared by then the district will put its contingency plan into action.
You can read the entire letter sent to parents below:
Good Afternoon Willow Ridge,
It is important that you are aware of the unexpected work that is taking place at Willow Ridge over the past two days. We learned on Tuesday that several classrooms in the 300 wing of the building had a type of mold and/or fungus growing on some wood surfaces and fabrics in the classrooms that were impacted. These were classrooms that were cleaned earlier in the summer and sealed off until this week when teachers began setting up their rooms for the upcoming school year. However, any amount of mold is a concern, and cleaning and mitigation using State guidelines began immediately in those rooms.
Upon further inspection, we noticed another classroom in the 200 wing and a music room where there was evidence of mold. We also recorded high levels of humidity in the building, even with the air conditioning running. Finally, an inspection of the crawl space underneath Willow Ridge uncovered standing water, causing the humidity underneath the building to be near 100 percent. Based upon our inspections and the high levels of humidity, we called several outside vendors to help us pinpoint the problem, test the air, and develop a plan to clean the building to bring it to the highest of safety standards.
We have asked our vendor Servpro to help mitigate the moisture in the air. We have also asked our vendor Stohl Environmental, the expert in environmental testing, to work with us to ensure our cleaning practices and moisture mitigation work is effective. Since last night, Servpro, working with Sweet Home buildings and grounds crews, have implemented a plan to reduce the amount of moisture in the air. That includes placing dehumidifiers and fans in nearly every classroom in the building. We have also begun pumping water out of the crawl space. These methods are working, as we have already recorded significant declines in the amount of humidity in the crawl space and in the building.
Our partner Stohl Environmental took air quality tests in the building last night. They are also working with our cleaning staff to ensure our methods are effective in eliminating mold from the impacted areas. We have called in four additional crews to clean all areas of the building from top to bottom, even if the area was not impacted. We expect the results of the air quality tests today, and will continue testing the building throughout the week and weekend to ensure it is safe for students, faculty and staff.
It must be noted that while school is starting on Tuesday, Sept. 3, the safety of our students, faculty, and staff is our number one priority. We are working around the clock to ensure that the issue is resolved, and that everyone who occupies the building is completely safe. If there is even a question that the issue remains, we will NOT put any person at risk. As school leaders, we have already discussed contingency plans in case we have a setback in our work. HOWEVER, we are on track to solve the issue and have school open on Tuesday.
Throughout the next several days, we will keep you posted on the progress in the building in preparation for opening Willow Ridge for school on Tuesday. We appreciate your patience and understanding and promise we are working around the clock to provide the safest environment possible for all we are fortunate to serve.
Sincerely,
Robert Polino, Principal of Willow Ridge
Michael V. Ginestre, Superintendent of Schools
