After just seven days of classes, Alexandria Township School unexpectedly closed Thursday evening, Sept. 3, to begin treating the recently discovered mold contamination of their facilities. The following night, the Alexandria Township School Board of Education called an emergency meeting to address the issue.

The ATS BOE voted unanimously to authorize the implementation of the Emergency Virtual/Remote Instruction Plan, authorize the use of the Maintenance Reserve fund and award emergency contracts.

On Thursday, Aug. 27, a staff member found mold on an item that had been stored in the building over the summer. This prompted the contact of RK Occupational & Environmental Inc., a professional environmental testing company. After preliminary tests conducted by RK Environmental revealed air and surface mold growth in the majority of rooms, the school was closed to staff and students.

Mike McGuinness, an industrial hygienist at RK Environmental, attended Friday’s BOE meeting to share his technical perspective.

“The more we looked, the more we found,” McGuinness said.

The closure will persist until the remediation process is complete and the building is deemed safe for return. At the earliest, this could be Monday, Sept. 14. However, the return date will be dictated by the test results that follow the remediation efforts.

RK Environmental has already begun working. As of 8 p.m. on Friday, dehumidifiers had been installed throughout the building and 10 classrooms had undergone a deep cleaning.

After the preliminary tests and school closure, RK Environmental was called in to do a more thorough analysis of the building’s condition.

“We’re measuring temperature, relative humidity, absolute humidity and dew points, and the readings are not good at all,” McGuinness said.

Both air and surface mold growth were discovered. The test results revealed unusual fungal populations — populations of fungi that are atypical for a given environment.

McGuinness assured parents that while this situation can feel alarming, it is far from unusual and that the remediation process is established and reliable.

“You guys didn’t invent anything that is going on here,” McGuinness said. “Summer of 2018, we had 44 schools going through the same stuff you’re going through now.”

Through experience, professionals have found that the process of remediating mold is iterative.

“Dry — which we’re doing; remediate —which we’re doing; scrubbing the air — which we’re doing,” McGuinness said. “Then, I’m going to come in afterwards and do what we call PRV, which is post-remediation verification.”

If the results from PRV designate the building as safe, the school will be reopened. If not, the cycle repeats until safe levels are achieved.

At the BOE meeting, many members of the public were concerned with the origins of the mold. McGuinness speculates the growth may be from a combination of factors, but a concrete conclusion is still being investigated.

“We’re going to keep the dehumidifiers there after it’s [the remediation] done until we can figure out exactly why it is as wet as it is and why it stays wet,” McGuinness said. “Your school does not have a fungal problem — it has a problem with controlling moisture.”

Regardless of the causes of the growth, McGuinness promised the public that he will not permit the school to be reopened until he feels absolutely certain it is safe.

“If I ever make a decision, it’s always going to be health first, convenience second,” McGuinness said. “Everything else is second.”

The BOE voted to permit remote learning if the need should arise. In New Jersey, remote or virtual learning days are not permitted unless the school has been closed for at least three consecutive days and virtual instruction has been approved by the state.

If ATS does turn to virtual learning, parents were told to not worry about any consequences as a result of difficulties with remote instruction. Grades and attendance records will not be adversely affected.

Public comment revealed that virtual instruction is not a popular option amongst the community. ATS Principal Erin Durborow explained that while they are going through the steps to approve virtual learning, it is no one’s first choice.

“It [virtual learning] is the backup plan,” Durborow said. “It’s obviously not the primary plan. We still have calls out to other schools to get an actual place to be, so the reason that we are trying to approve the virtual is so that we don’t lose the number of days. We cannot get a firm estimate [of the timeline for return].”

ATS is investigating a variety of other options including local summer camps, surrounding schools and publically-owned spaces.

In the meantime, the community is rallying together. This closure poses a challenge for many families, and neighbors are showing each other an abundance of support.

Del Val Media Specialist Tracy Miceli has two children in ATS and is impressed by the unification.

“It seemed like people were opening up, like, ‘Listen, I’ve got a horse farm, and if you need an activity, you can bring your kids,’” Miceli said. “Alexandria Township is a great community, and I think someone will pick up the slack somewhere for someone else and someone will help out….I think it will be okay. It’s a little blip, but I think between all of the hands that are helping, we will be okay.”

While a plan for the coming week has not been finalized as of this article’s publication, ATS BOE assured parents and guardians that they will be contacted as soon as one is set.