ALAMANCE COUNTY, N.C. — It's been a busy day for families at Alexander Wilson Elementary School in Haw River. Not only was it the first day of school, it was also open house, making for a packed-in start to the school year after weeks of uncertainty for parents like Keona Britt.
"It was definitely a hassle. I had to reschedule a lot of appointments, pushing things back, trying to re-figure things with babysitting, so it's been a lot but I'm glad that it's finally cleared up," Britt said.
Britt's son just started kindergarten. She feels confident the school is safe and mold free. Other students like fifth grader, Charlotte, said she was happy to have two extra weeks of summer but she missed a lot about school.
"I was sad because I wanted to see my teachers and my friends. I like math a lot, because it's challenging and I missed it a lot," said Charlotte.
Students finally returned after mold impacted more than half of the district's schools. They were forced to start 2 weeks late.
While many are focused on the kids, parent Christian Hansen is also concerned about the teachers.
"I have heard that some of the teachers have to take off vacation days and I think it's not fair. It's not their fault, it's not our fault, but someone has to take some sort of responsibility to check on the schools and clean the schools, you know?" Hansen said.
It's one in a long list of questions and concerns the district will likely address in the coming days and weeks.
RELATED: First Alamance-Burlington school toured since toxic mold found inside, district says it's clean
While the mold is gone, remnants of the cleanup remain. Dehumidifiers are running throughout most buildings this week as they figure out what to do long-term.
Alamance County granted more than 17 million dollars for ABSS to address the mold issues. Some of that money was already earmarked for the school district, just for different projects.
The school board now will work with the county to make sure it can still afford all projects. It also meets tomorrow to discuss what to do with the school calendar, after delaying school for two weeks. Right now, ABSS would still meet the required number of hours.