‘Inactive’ mold found at Westhaven Elementary in Belleville

Inactive mold “encapsulated” behind a wall is being removed from a Belleville school.

Westhaven Elementary, part of Belleville District 118, will have some drywall replaced during spring break. Superintendent Matt Klosterman said the kindergarten class of about 25 students has been in the library since the issue was discovered a couple days ago.

Assistant Superintendent Ryan Boike said the work was expected to begin Tuesday night, “but we won’t put anybody back until we retest the area.”

The students will be off for break on Thursday, Friday and Monday. The district sent a letter home Tuesday with students explaining the situation, he said.

St. Louis-based Advanced Environmental Services is doing the removal and remediation, Boike said. “This is a company that could get on it right away,” he said.

The school had a pipe break about a year and a half ago, and the district immediately replaced carpeting and performed “pretty significant” cleaning that included the duct work, Klosterman said.

Environmental Consultants, based in Collinsville, is a company that monitors indoor air quality and has since performed random checks of that part of the building for mold.

In the most recent check, a “slightly elevated” mold level was found.

“What they found is a dried substance, it’s not active. It was also encapsulated – inside the wall behind layers of paint and drywall,” Klosterman said.

He said no students or teachers have reported being sick from the environment.

Environmental Consultants has told the district that the type of mold found is not one that people react to, and there is no moisture in the walls.

“At some time, it might have been active but isn’t now,” Klosterman said.

The district has spent more than $15,000 to keep the students and personnel safe, Klosterman said.

“We’re just trying to do what we believe is the right thing to do,” he said.

The district sent a letter home to parents in December alerting them of the past water damage and asking for parents to tell the district of any suspected health problems. Boike said one parent responded that a child had a mold allergy; that child is not in the affected classroom.

Westhaven Elementary has more than 500 students in kindergarten through sixth grade.

This story was originally published March 22, 2016 at 3:43 PM with the headline "‘Inactive’ mold found at Westhaven Elementary in Belleville."