ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Routine inspections at Allentown Schools elementary buildings found mold in four classrooms this week, the district said Friday.
In a release, the district said mold spores were found Thursday, Aug. 21, in four classrooms at Sheridan and Ritter elementary school classrooms and in a modular classroom at Muhlenberg Elementary.
The release said air quality tests found “higher spore levels than outdoor air quality.”
Allentown Schools are scheduled to open for the academic year on Monday, Aug. 25.
"As we prepare to welcome students back to school ... the safety and well-being of our students and staff remains our top priorities," the release said.
"As a part of this preparation, the Allentown School District Facilities Department routinely checks all rooms and surfaces for mold growth.
"Any growth detected is reported, and immediate steps are taken according to appropriate District policy and procedure."
In response to finding the elevated spores level, the district’s facilities team deep cleaned the affected classrooms and “a professional cleaning company has been contracted to assist with the additional remediation,” the release said.
HEPA filters and air purifiers have been installed in the rooms, the district said.
It said its licensed abatement company, Element Environmental Solutions, also performed air quality testing, “in accordance with our remediation procedure.”
Element Environmental Solutions will perform additional testing over the weekend, ahead of the start of the new school year, the release said.
“We will update the impacted schools with the findings of these final reports once they have been completed,” the district said in the release.
“As we continue to inspect all schools prior to the first day of school, the Allentown School District has taken appropriate preventative measures to reduce the possibility of mold growth in all of our schools.”
