Mold discovered inside Laurel Highlands Middle School
District working to remediate building prior to start of classes
Laurel Highlands School District is bringing in experts for a comprehensive assessment of the middle school after the discovery of mold and mildew issues.
In a statement posted on the district’s Facebook page Wednesday, administrators said central administration had met with Pittsburgh-based restoration company Firewater for solutions to the problems, which will involve a full remediation plan.
Restoration work is on track to be completed by Friday, the district said in an earlier Facebook post on Tuesday announcing the problem.
Administrators said they learned last week of the issue, in which high humidity levels caused condensation to form on pipe insulation inside the building.
The district said assessments showed no air quality issues, while surface testing of the mold and mildew indicated it was not harmful.
“However, out of an abundance of caution and commitment to safety, we are executing a full remediation plan,” administrators said in the Tuesday post.
Administration did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
The remediation will include replacing any affected pipe insulation and ceiling tiles, removing all traces of mold and mildew with specialized equipment and sanitizing the area, administrators said.
Firewater is also bringing in a professional environmental hygienist and a specialized engineer for their assessment, in which they will sample classrooms across the building to evaluate any environmental issues. Individual rooms will also be remediated as needed.
“We are committed to providing you with thorough, accurate information based on broad, actionable testing rather than small, isolated samples,” administrators said in Wednesday’s statement.
Administrators said the district planned to release the preliminary reports from environmental specialists to the public once available.
The school’s Meet the Teacher Night will take place Monday night if Firewater’s work progresses on schedule, administrators said.
Classes are scheduled to begin Aug. 25.
Assistant Superintendent Jessica Scott said on Facebook Wednesday that administrators were meeting with contractors to discuss the full scope of work. Wallace said the district’s administrative team would review the full data with engineers and environmental specialists, then announce the scope of work and start remediation.
“We are taking the utmost precautions to ensure the health and safety of our students and staff — it remains our highest priority,” administrators said in Wednesday’s statement. “We believe in total transparency regarding facility matters in our district, and we sincerely appreciate your patience as we work as quickly and thoroughly as possible to address this situation.”