(WGHP) — In light of the ongoing mold problem affecting the Alamance-Burlington School System, FOX8 reached out to several school systems in the Piedmont Triad to see how mold situations are handled.
The following questions were asked of each school district:
- Have there been any reports of mold in any schools or facilities?
- If so, when, and where? What were the findings?
- If not, (were they) checking into the possibility of mold at schools or facilities following the discovery of mold in another school district?
- Why or why not?
- If not, (were they) checking into the possibility of mold at schools or facilities following the discovery of mold in another school district?
- If so, when, and where? What were the findings?
Davidson County Schools
We had two schools experience minor issues with mold in August as a result of mechanical issues with the HVAC units at those two schools. Only a few classrooms were affected, so this allowed for clean-up to occur very quickly. Our buildings receive routine inspections for a variety of concerns, including the existence of mold.
Rockingham County Schools
We take the safety of our Rockingham County students and staff seriously. We have several measures in place to ensure their safety like our comprehensive safety program. Additionally, we continually initiate other measures when conditions manifest themselves and require our utmost attention and remediation. Over the past few years, a number of RCS buildings have had the most up-to-date HVAC systems installed to provide the best air quality available to our staff and students. Furthermore, other RCS buildings will upgrade their HVAC systems in the future.
Furthermore, RCS has an energy conservation program with an energy specialist and experienced HVAC technicians in the buildings over the summer helps to secure our schools’ indoor air quality. The energy specialist actively and continually audits our buildings for proper temperature and moisture levels throughout the school year. If there is an issue, building automation schedules are adjusted, settings are changed, or equipment is repaired by our HVAC team and maintenance department. We recently received an air quality report for some our schools with a finding that our school’s internal air quality exceeded the external (outside) air quality.
Are there air quality checks? YES
Are there plans in place if mold is found inside a school? YES
Have there been any reports of mold? NO
Stokes County Schools
There were three isolated incidents of mold found in the following schools, King Elementary, Chestnut Grove Middle School, and Lawsonville Elementary. In all three schools, it was surface mold, primarily on Chromebook cases. The mold was remediated prior to students returning to the buildings.
Surry County Schools
Thank you for your inquiry regarding mold in Surry County Schools. We can confirm that no mold has been found in our schools, and we routinely conduct tests to ensure a mold-free environment for our students and staff. The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our top priority.
Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools
We have not had any widespread reports of mold in schools or in facilities. Employees and students are always encouraged to report anything they see and suspect is unhealthy or dangerous, but mold has not been a problem.
We do have cleaning methods in place to prevent mold and we regularly check for mold and other things that could pose a health threat.
We have not done anything differently because of something that happened elsewhere. We will continue to clean and disinfect all areas and monitor all of our facilities for any potential problems.
Yadkin County Schools
Good afternoon. We have had no reports of mold in any of our facilities, but if we do receive any report it is checked immediately. We don’t specifically do an inspection after mold is discovered in another district. However, we are constantly checking for any development of mold, especially if we have a roof leak, an HVAC issue or a water line issue of any kind. We keep a constant check on these things until we are sure there is no mold. Additionally, we change HVAC filters quarterly and we inspect the drain lines as well to ensure we do not have any issues.
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FOX8 has also reached out to Guilford County Schools, Randolph County Schools and Lexington City Schools but we have not yet received statements.
