Alamance

Officials with Alamance-Burlington Schools announced that mold has been found in multiple schools just one week before the new academic year starts.

Officials with Alamance-Burlington Schools announced that mold has been found in multiple schools just one week before the new academic year starts.

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Officials with Alamance-Burlington Schools announced that mold has been found in multiple schools just one week before the new academic year starts.

UPDATE:

The Alamance-Burlington School System is delaying the start of the 2023-2024 school year until September 5, 2023 to allow more time to evaluate all school campuses after mold was discovered in more than a dozen buildings.

The delay will not impact Alamance-Burlington Early College at ACC which has already started and is located on the community college campus.

The delayed opening would allow environmental inspectors time to further evaluate and address issues at all campuses and allow time for both the ABSS Board of Education, Alamance County Commissioners, and the county’s state delegation to hold a Special called Joint meeting Monday at 3:00 p.m. to discuss next steps.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Officials with Alamance-Burlington Schools announced that mold has been found in a dozen schools just one week before the new academic year starts.

According to a news release, mold was discovered at Williams High School yesterday afternoon. On Tuesday, members of the board of education were joined by county commissioners in touring Williams High School to see the mold issues firsthand.

Officials said the mold was found on the first floor in four rooms and a closet underneath outside stairwells, indicating a drainage issue.

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Further inspections across the district revealed mold had been found in 12 schools, including Williams High, Cummings High, Broadview Middle, and Andrews and Newlin Elementary.

Alamance Burlington schools have already spent a little over a million dollars on mold remediation and HVAC repairs at Andrews and Newlin and are awaiting test results to determine the next steps at Cummings High School and Broadview Middle School.

In the release, Dr. Dain Butler, the superintendent, said this news comes at the worst possible time as students prepare to return to classrooms in just a few days.

"We want to assure families that the district is taking this seriously and plans to address the problem comprehensively," he said. "We owe it to our community to provide safe and healthy learning environments for our students. That is our focus in the days ahead."

The district says it believes the root causes stem from a combination of the age of some school buildings, HVAC systems with insufficient airflow, high humidity levels this summer, and structural damage that has developed over time.

Andrews Elementary officially passed all inspection requirements over the weekend, ABSS officials said. Students will be allowed to return to campus Monday, Aug. 28, for the first day.

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According to officials, Williams High School will be closed off to students and staff. Administrators and staff will temporarily move to Turrentine Middle while additional testing is conducted Tuesday.

Newlin Elementary School students will be temporarily relocated to Ray Street Academy. Ray Street students and staff will be moved to Graham Middle School.

The ABSS Board of Education also has a meeting on Monday, Aug. 28. They plan to discuss possibly getting an outside firm to conduct indoor air quality testing and a reevaluation of roofing systems at all district facilities.

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