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10/13/2023 04:49 PMREGIONAL
The Region 4 Board of Education (BOE) agreed at a meeting on Oct. 11 to move forward with hiring vendors and specialists to begin the process of remediation for mold at John Winthrop Middle School (JWMS).
Superintendent Brian White said that the district has since spent a total of $116,359 since August on “facilities-related services and repairs” for systems such as insulation and dehumidifiers and the relocation of supplies and educational resources to Valley Regional High School (VRHS).
The board will follow initial recommendations from its health and safety consultants, Connecticut River Area Health District and EnvironMed, to conduct training for the district maintenance and facility staff on how to safely access and navigate JWMS with the mold situation.
A request-for-proposal has also been agreed upon to be released for a mechanical engineering firm to conduct a root cause analysis of the mold and design site remediation protocols.
The board is also working on a “movable object inventory” to identify what supplies and resources can be decontaminated and safely removed from the building.
How the mold has contaminated costly and integral educational resources at the middle school continues to concern JWMS staff, including technical education teacher Jennifer Blalock.
“The moisture problem is a big deal, and it’s not teacher supplies like a Smart Board; it’s so much more. It’s a computer lab, it’s drill presses that are rusting,” said Blalock. “The moisture issue is going to degrade the stuff that we spent our money on, and we need to get those things out sooner rather than later.”
White said that the board is currently working on protocols with experts “to determine the best way to minimize risk for any people who may wish to voluntarily enter John Winthrop to potentially retrieve personal items or if there’s other immediate needs prior to the remediation.”
There is no timeline for when teachers can safely enter the middle school and retrieve resources, said White, but the board is trying to expedite the process.
VRHS and JWMS principals Mike Barile and Mel Morgan-Hostetler, respectively, informed the board that they are collaborating with staff to better accommodate learning spaces and supplies. Morgan-Hostetler said the logistics of extracurricular activities for JWMS students have also been organized to allow those to continue.
The high population of students at the high school and the need to find adequate space for all of them has seen some teachers still adjusting to shifts in classroom settings, such as VRHS teacher Kathryn Ryan.
“Every move gets a little bit better, but it’s like doing the first week of school every week here, and that’s getting tiring,” Ryan said.
The board will hold its next meeting on Oct. 18 at the Library Media Center at VRHS.