Tzouanakis students to remain at alternate sites into next week

Thursday, August 30, 2018 ~ Updated 10:48 PM
Banner Graphic/JARED JERNAGAN

Finding above average mold spore counts in three rooms, Greencastle Community Schools administrators announced Thursday evening that Tzouanakis Intermediate School will remain closed beyond this week.

An exact reopening date has not been determined, but Superintendent Jeff Hubble outlined some of the progress made in a message to parents around 9:15 p.m.

As part of the test, outside contractor Moisture Management took an outside air sample to establish a baseline for its inside mold spore testing.

Hubble noted that the Indiana standard requires the testing company to take two inside air tests.

“We went beyond those requirements by completing one outside and eight inside air tests,” Hubble said.

“To determine which rooms to be tested, we acted on teacher input.”

The samples were then delivered to EMSL Analytical, an independent, certified lab. Of the 22 types of mold spores analyzed one caused concern, aspergillus/penicillin. Three rooms test above outside mold spore counts for this type.

Two of the three rooms in question have carpet, so Hubble explained that the first step taken was to rip out the carpet and dispose of it as directed by Moisture Management.

In addition to the air test, school officials also directed Moisture Management to perform swab tests for surface mold in the strings room, the B pod unit vent and in the unit vent of Chelle Hendershot’s room. All three of these tests came back with no concern.

Hubble went on to outline next steps as recommended by Moisture Management and Environmental Protection Agency protocols. These will include scrubbing unit vents with mold disinfectant, cleaning all horizontal surfaces with mold disinfectant.

“As soon as the cleaning process has been completed, all rooms will be chemically treated with electrified mold disinfectant and left undisturbed for 12 hours,” Hubble said.

Officials plan to have this process complete by Saturday at midnight. With Monday being Labor Day, Moisture Management will test all classrooms on Tuesday, Sept. 4.

“We hope to have results Wednesday or Thursday,” Hubble said.

District administrators met with Tzouanakis administrators and staff Monday after school and agreed to continue the current plan until the all clear has been given.

That means the third grade will remain at Deer Meadow Primary, fourth grade at Ridpath Primary and the fifth grade at McAnally Center, with pickup and dropoff at Greencastle Middle School.

Besides Moisture Management and EMSL Analytical, Hubble announced that he has contacted an additional source of outside assistance.

“I have contacted the Board of Health for assistance in verifying the process that we have taken is sound, provide us clear guidance and complete their own tests to verify Moisture Management’s results,” Hubble said. “A representative will be on site in the next two days.”

Although rumors had circulated previously about mold in the Tzouanakis building, the issue was first publicly discussed during the Greencastle School Board meeting on Monday evening.

At that time, Hubble announced that while school officials had been aware of surface mold in the school since mid-July, they believed they had been monitoring the mold spore levels and keeping them within acceptable limits.

When school board members learned that they had no reliable mold spore counts, they advised Hubble to close the school until accurate readings could be taken and analyzed.

Tzouanakis students did not attend class at all on Tuesday and have been attending at alternate locations in the days since.

A number of parents, teachers and community members were in attendance at the meeting, with the main complaint being that parents had been kept in the dark regarding mold growth, regardless of the amount in the air.

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