Westhaven kindergarten class still meeting in school library due to mold cleanup

A kindergarten class at Westhaven Elementary School in Belleville District 118 will again meet in the library for class on Wednesday as test results cameback not to the liking of the company doing mold cleanup at the school.

About 25 kindergarten students have had classes in the library since periodic testing revealed “inactive” mold last week. The district arranged for the work to be done during the school’s spring break in hopes that the students could return on Tuesday morning to their normal classroom.

However, test results came back Tuesday afternoon. “They did not meet the standards the company has set,” Superintendent Matt Klosterman said, so additional cleanup work occurred.

Another test was taken following the cleanup, and Klosterman expects the results will come back Wednesday afternoon.

St. Louis-based Advanced Environmental Services is doing the removal and remediation, and Environmental Consultants, based in Collinsville, is a company that monitors indoor air quality.

The district left the affected walls open while testing is conducted, Klosterman said. “Until they release the room to us, we won’t do anything in there,” 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. Ryan Boike, assistant superintendent, previously said one parent responded that a child had a mold allergy; that child is not in the affected classroom.

The “slightly elevated” level of inactive mold was a dried substance and fully enclosed behind the wall, Klosterman said earlier.

Mary Cooley

This story was originally published March 29, 2016 at 10:44 AM with the headline "Westhaven kindergarten class still meeting in school library due to mold cleanup."