While Gateway School District officials are preparing Moss Side Elementary School for the new school year, parents say questions remain to be answered before they feel comfortable sending children back into the building.
Administrators say the concerns raised by parents will be addressed and that many of the questions will be answered during an open house at 7 p.m. Thursday at the school on Gateway Campus Boulevard.
Moss Side Elementary was closed in February after mold was discovered in several areas. About 300 student in kindergarten through the fourth grade were relocated to other buildings throughout the district.
After the students were moved, the school district spent nearly $250,000 to replace the roof, which was leaking water that caused the mold to develop. The district also spent more than $400,000 to have a contractor remove the mold.
"It's about a balance between economics and the safety of the children," said Tracie Yanovich, a student's mother who believes that although being careful about money spent is important, the top priority is the safety of students and the staff.
Parents say the issues they want to be resolved include:
Black mold — the variety that prompted the district to close Moss Side Elementary — is the same type that some medical studies have linked to severe health problems, according to the Allegheny County Health Department.
Cleveland Steward, acting director of elementary education, said the boiler, which had been cleaned and disinfected, has undergone a state-mandated inspection. He said air samples have been taken while the system was running.
L. Robert Kimball & Associates, the company contracted to test the building, conducted a test of rooms Aug. 5. Rooms were chosen randomly throughout the building, said F. Michael Anderson, a safety and health specialist with the firm.
Parents, however, have said they want all rooms tested and that they want to see a chart of the results.
"There was spot testing," said Yanovich, whose daughter became sick when attending classes in a rooms with a high mold contamination. "What if my child has to spend nine months in one of those rooms that wasn't tested?"
