Less than two weeks before classes resume, an elementary school in the Prince George’s County (Md.) district will be shut down because of mold contamination.
District Heights Elementary School in District Heights, Md., will be closed for the entire 2018-19 school year while the building undergoes remediation and renovations.
In the meantime, students will attend the nearby Forestville High School building, which has been vacant since it closed two years ago.
Last year, parents and staff at District Heights complained that the building was unsafe and that mold was causing students and staff to get sick.
Despite images last year from inside the school that appeared to show mold on ceiling tiles along with water damage, district leaders maintained that the school was safe based on air quality tests.
Interim Schools CEO Monica Goldson now says that after recent rains, mold has been discovered on furniture inside the school.
Goldson says the district will be installing a new $2.5 million air conditioning system at District Heights. The hope is that the new system will eliminate the mold issue and enable the campus to reopen.
