WARRENSBURG– Mitigation efforts are underway at Martin Warren Elementary School after air quality concerns pushed the Warrensburg R-VI School District to move the school’s instruction online Friday, April 10, through Friday, April 17.
In an email sent out to parents Thursday, April 9, Superintendent Steve Ritter said that, while radon levels found in the school remain safe for occupancy, that a Limited Mold Inspection and Indoor Air Quality Assessment by Titan Environmental Services raised concerns about potential air quality risks.
“Indoor Air Quality results received late this afternoon identified areas that require mitigation for air quality,” Thursday’s email said. “Although these concerns are limited in scope, we believe it is in the best interest of students and staff to remain out of the building during this process. This will allow professionals to complete this work safely and efficiently.”
According to the test results, Martin Warren’s relative humidity percentage throughout the building was around 55-65%, a reading that officials said could pose as hazardous in the future. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends that indoor relative humidity levels be kept below 60%, but ideally between 30% and 50%.
The report also indicated that elevated mold and/ or spore counts were found in at least nine classrooms along with a number of other spaces throughout the building.
After receiving the results Thursday afternoon, Ritter said he and his staff made the decision to close the school and contact ServPro Restoration Services to have them onsite Friday morning to begin their mitigation process. Ritter said the company still has to complete an inspection before they share what their cleanup efforts will look like with the district. Until the mitigation process is complete, Ritter said students and staff will be kept out of the building.
“They are going in there today to start walking through and building their plans– they need to be able to have full access, and that’s not conducive with students being in the building,” Ritter said. “If (crews) are having to do some renovations, some tear out, we wouldn’t want those extra mold particles going into the air at this point, so it’s better just to have all the students and staff out of the building so that the mitigation team can get in and do their work.”
Until the issue is resolved, Ritter said he’s grateful to students, parents, faculty and staff for their patience as the district navigates this issue.
“We know that it’s a very big inconvenience for our families, so we really appreciate their understanding,” Ritter said. “I would give a shout out to our faculty and staff at the Martin Warren building– the next week or so is going to be a big challenge with trying to provide education to students online right before the testing season. We know this is an important time of year for them, so we appreciate their flexibility as we’ve worked through this.”
For more information and district updates on Martin Warren, visit https://www.warrensburgr6.org/article/2785897.
Hasina Shah can be reached at 660-747-8123.
