ALAMANCE COUNTY, N.C. — School will start Tuesday, Sept. 5 for Alamance-Burlington Schools after the district found potential mold issues in more than half of its schools. Here's what we know about the start of school and how the mold problem is being handled.
What schools have mold issues?
ABSS officials said a total of 21 schools have been identified with possible mold, including Andrews Elementary, Newlin Elementary, Cummings High School, Broadview Middle School, and Williams High School.
As of Wednesday, the school district released a list of 16 more schools with potential mold issues.
- AO Elementary
- Eastlawn Elementary
- Grove Park Elementary
- South Mebane Elementary
- E.M. Holt Elementary
- Garrett Elementary
- Highland Elementary
- North Graham Elementary
- South Graham Elementary
- Pleasant Grove Elementary
- Turrentine Middle
- Woodlawn Middle
- Western Middle
- Graham High
- Western High
- Eastern High
Has cleanup been completed at any of the schools?
Cleanup at Andrews Elementary School has been completed and Newlin Elementary School is almost done.
What's next for the rest of the schools?
ABSS has contracted with indoor air quality experts to conduct inspections at each school. The ABSS Board of Education, Alamance County Commissioners, and the County's state delegation will meet on Monday to discuss the next steps.
How much will it cost to fix the problem?
There's no known price tag right now, but Superintendent Dr. Dain Butler said, "Fixing these issues is going to take resources we don't have."
The District has already spent over $1.2 million on mold removal and HVAC repairs at Andrews and Newlin.
Why is mold just now being discovered?
In 2017, school board members at the time brought up roof leaks and mold issues at Cummings and Broadview. There was an investigation by the Environmental Health Department. The board said they could only "band-aid" the issue at the time because of funding.
How many schools does ABSS have?
ABSS has 38 total schools. There are potential mold issues in more than half of them.
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