New air quality report shows mold still exists St. James Elementary School classroom

HORRY COUNTY, SC (WMBF) – A new indoor air quality report released Tuesday night revealed that mold exists in one classroom at St. James Elementary School.

Palmetto EHS performed a re-test on two rooms, Room E100 and the Reading Room, on Feb. 18. The students in those rooms were moved to different classrooms.

The results found that mold spores were not amplified in the Reading Room, but mold spores were still amplified in Room E100.

An email went out to parents at the school, notifying them about the test results and the next steps being taken to remove the mold.

According to the email, Palmetto EHS gave seven recommendations on what the school district should do to clear out the mold:

1. Students  should remain relocated until recommendations and re-testing are  completed. Students have been temporarily placed in a portable classroom since  Feb. 15.
2. A  wooden cabinet, cardboard boxes, and paper should be removed from the  room.  The only items left in the room should be metal or plastic,  which can easily be cleaned.
3. All  ceiling tiles should be removed from the room, disposed of properly, and  replaced. The Horry County School District should have the appropriate  personnel (plumbing, HVAC, or roofing as needed) inspect the area above  the ceiling tiles to ensure there are no leaks, no source of water  intrusion, no mold growth, and no stains. If leaks are found, the school  district should ensure they are corrected. If mold or stains are  found, the school district should ensure that it is remediated. If  wet insulation is found, it should be disposed of immediately.
4. All  of the surfaces (walls, floors, furniture, doors, shelves, desks, chairs,  etc.) should be thoroughly cleaned and dried with a district-approved  antimicrobial cleaning agent. This should include cleaning of any HVAC  supply diffusers and return vents. This cleaning should be performed by a  qualified mold remediation company. This work will be conducted by a  qualified mold remediation company on Saturday, March 2, 2019, and will  also include above-the-ceiling cleaning, i.e., pipes, truss work, grids,  etc.
5. Once  the cleaning has concluded, HVAC filters and ceiling tiles should be  replaced, and a final HEPA vacuum of the room should be completed. HCS  Facilities will replace the ceiling tiles.
6. HEPA  scrubbers must be used in the room during and after the cleaning, using  two HEPA scrubbers due to the size of the room. At the conclusion of the  cleaning, the air scrubbers should run for at least 3 days and remain in  place until follow-up testing is performed.
7. Follow-up  air testing should be performed following the cleaning.  The room  must remain unoccupied until test results are received. Re-testing for  Room E100 is scheduled for the week of March 4, 2019, pending weather  conditions.

The school district said it hopes to get results on the re-testing within seven to 10 calendar days.

PAST COVERAGE:

St. James Elementary School has been dealing with mold concerns since the beginning of the month when 23 areas of the school were cleaned after testing positive for mold.

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