Quickly remedied but tests will continue
by Chip Rowe
Beacon school officials called a restoration service on Sept. 13 after finding mold growing on some cloth seats in the Seeger Theater at Beacon High School. A number of other schools in the region have also had mold problems, partly due to the wet weather.
In a letter to parents, Superintendent Matt Landahl said the district will run dehumidifiers and close the theater for a few weeks so that a contractor, ServPro, can treat the surfaces without interruption.
“We will continue to test for air quality throughout the high school,” Landahl wrote. “We will also continue to work with our air chiller in the high school to see what adjustments or fixes need to be done to help mitigate this in the future.”
In August, a custodian at the high school discovered mold that had developed overnight on desks and other surfaces in four science rooms. ServPro cleaned the rooms over the Labor Day weekend.
Earlier this month, high school staff found mold growing on instrument cases in the band room closet and beneath risers in the chorus room, prompting the district to have ServPro clean four art rooms, the band room, the chorus room and the music room. Mold also was found and remedied in seven classrooms at J.V. Forrestal Elementary.
The district said it has added dehumidifiers and HEPA air filters and that it would review its ventilation and AC systems and conduct more air quality tests later in the year.
