Students, teachers displaced after mold shuts down elementary school in Union, NJ
UNION, NEW JERSEY (WABC) -- It's only October, and students and teachers at a school in Union, New Jersey are facing a big challenge.
Students and teachers were temporarily moved to other schools in the area after mold was found in Hannah Caldwell Elementary School.
The school district has determined remote learning is not an option, because educators believe in-person learning is best for the students.
But parents and students are struggling while adjusting to the change.
Mold was found on ceiling tiles, vents, and shades.
Teachers packed up their materials to take to temporary locations where classes will be held.
"We want to get our kids back in school learning.. and I think we're going to be able to do that," Dr. Gerry Benaquista Superintendent of Union Public Schools said.
Ashish Anil said his child is in Kindergarten and his pregnant wife teaches at the school.
Anil said the mold issue was put before the school board four years ago.
"I don't know why there was no action taken for four years when there were numerous emails and photos regarding this issue," Anil said.
Benaquista said he recently brought in a new buildings operations manager and new leadership.
"Part of that is to check on things and do the daily maintenance that we need to do," Benaquista said.
The district decided last week to immediately shut down the school because of the mold.
Students have been out since Friday.
The district decided against remote learning.
The plan is to have buses at the school take the students to their assigned locations every day beginning Wednesday morning.
"We're excited that they're not going to implement virtual learning and they coordinated to get the kids to other schools within the district, so I'm very happy about that," a parent said.
"I think it's a good idea, I prefer the in-person learning," another parent said.
The district is waiting for remediation experts to assess how widespread the problem actually is in the building and how long it will take to clean it up. They also said there will be no classes in the building until they get the all-clear.
"We are dealing with this right now, but in the end, we're going to make sure this building is 100 percent."
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