The Alamance Burlington School System has delayed the first day of school a second time after finding mold in more than half of the system’s 38 schools, according to a press release Sept. 2. Schools are now scheduled to open on Monday, Sept. 11.
“We believe this brief postponement is necessary to open schools under safe conditions,” ABSS wrote in the statement.
The first day of the school year was originally planned for Aug. 28, but after mold was found in Andrews Elementary in July, ABSS began testing all 38 of its schools. Now, all schools have been tested and 26 are currently being cleaned. Nine of those schools have tested positive for toxigenic mold. According to the Centers for Disease Control, toxigenic mold is mold that can release toxins. The CDC says for people sensitive to mold, reactions can include stuffy nose, itchy eyes and itchy skin. Students and parents can see which schools are under remediation and which have been opened on ABSS’s mold remediation dashboard.
At a meeting on Sept. 1, the Alamance County commissioners reappropriated funds amounting to nearly $17 million to pay for mold remediation, cleaning air ducts and cleaning HVAC systems.