Hollister School District trustees have approved a $3,100 contract for mold remediation at the district’s oldest campus, R.O. Hardin Elementary School.
Superintendent Gary McIntire had already authorized the cleaning, as he can use up to $7,500 in emergency expenditures between board meetings. Board members approved the expenditures retroactively at their regularly scheduled meeting meeting Tuesday.
The agenda item left at least one R.O. Hardin educator at the meeting dismayed.
“That’s not cool,” said Susan Cat, a R.O. Hardin kindergarten teacher with a classroom very close to the one that had mold, in an interview with the Free Lance. “I’m kind of concerned about that. I didn’t even know about that.”
The mold remediation was not mentioned at the most recent staff meeting, she said.
Custodians cleaning the campus during summer break looked up and noticed mold on the ceiling inside of Room E, according to the R.O. Hardin’s Principal Jananne Gaver, also in the audience at the school board meeting.
The district learned of the mold in early August and had the issue addressed about one and a half weeks ago, said McIntire.
“It had been leaking a while as far as I know,” said McIntire, who noted that it’s important for teachers and staff members to report leaks so the district can respond immediately to potential mold.
The district already had an agreement with Environmental Remediation Technologies for asbestos inspection services and contacted the business to perform air quality and mold testing in Room E, according to a staff report on the matter. The report stated that there were “normal mold conditions” inside the classroom, but a visual inspection indicated that there was visible mold growth above the suspended ceiling, primarily on the insulation.
JWH Asbestos Removal Services did the abatement work, which included taking out the affected ceiling tiles, but district maintenance and operations crews reassembled the room, McIntire said.
“It’s very common,” said McIntire. “Any time you have moisture, you have to think about mold.”
