ADAMS COUNTY — Fairfield Area School District announced Friday that the start of the 2018-19 school year has been delayed due to a mold concern.
In a letter sent to parents Friday, Superintendent Karen Kugler said that professionals will be brought in to clean all buildings and ventilation systems.
The projected first day of school is now September 4, with graduation being moved to June 12, Kugler wrote.
“Please continue to monitor the district website, twitter, One-Call alerts, and mailings home for updated information regarding the start of school, kindergarten registration, Back to School Nights, and 9th Grade Orientation,” a portion of the letter stated.
You can read the full letter below:
Dear Parents/Guardians,
The Fairfield Area School District is dealing with a mold concern in all buildings as we approach the start of the 2018-19 school year. I apologize for the short notice, but we have recently confirmed the need to delay the start of the school year in order to allow the District to bring in professionals to clean all buildings and ventilation systems prior to accepting staff and students. The projected first day of school is now September 4, 2018, with graduation being moved to June 12, 2019. Should conditions necessitate a further delay, that information will be communicated to you.
I want to assure you that the District is working diligently to remediate the situation and open the buildings as soon as possible. Please continue to monitor the district website, twitter, One-Call alerts, and mailings home for updated information regarding the start of school, kindergarten registration, Back to School Nights, and 9th Grade Orientation.
Daniel Larson of CMI, an Environmental Health and Safety Company, has stated, mold is pretty common in homes and commercial buildings. He adds that it’s especially tough to control in big buildings like schools. During the summertime, when we approach consistently high levels of humidity, along with record amounts of rainfall this summer, it’s really difficult to keep an exact balance with the HVAC system so you don’t get conditions where you get condensation and other conditions conducive to mold growth.
Thank you for understanding as we work together for the safety of our students and staff.
Sincerely,
Karen C. Kugler
Superintendent
