Mold was discovered in several places at the John M. Marshall Elementary School in late August, and the East Hampton School District is almost done remediating the problem, a senior school official said this week.
The issue has affected some classrooms, heating units, and the building’s three main vents on the roof, according to Richard Burns, the district superintendent. While tests by a professional air quality improvement company did not show elevated levels of spores in the air, the district launched a cleaning effort out of an abundance of caution.
“We put our gloves on and tried to stay on top of it,” Mr. Burns said. “The bottom line for us is that we’re really being very careful that the quality of air is safe, not only for the children but also the staff.”
The district bought dehumidifier units for every classroom and cleaned each vent and heating unit, he said. The last three areas impacted by the mold are scheduled to be cleaned during the winter break, when school is out for two entire weeks.
“It’s possibly the age of the building,” the superintendent said by way of explanation. He said the East Hampton Middle School and the high school have also had problems with mold in the past. “The older buildings — I don’t think those buildings would be constructed that way today.”
The district has spent about $20,000 so far, and expects to spend another $14,000 to wrap up the project. The same air quality company will be brought in to repeat the tests at the end of the process.
East Hampton is not the only district here to have struggled with mold. Last year, the Springs School District completed a buildingwide remediation effort after mold was discovered in classrooms with doors that opened to the outside, and other places.
This year, the problem has not been widespread, according to Debra Winter, the Springs superintendent. Just to be safe, she said, the custodians will be at the school during winter break to give it a thorough cleaning.
“Our new roof will help, big time,” Ms. Winter said this week. “When your roof leaks, that’s when you have problems. Knock on wood, we’re in pretty good shape.”
The Amagansett School, the Montauk School, the Bridgehampton School, Sag Harbor schools, and the Sagaponack School have not had to deal with mold in recent memory, according to officials in those districts. The Wainscott School District did not provide information by press time.