Mold Issues Force Elgin School To Remain Closed Through Monday

ELGIN, IL -- An Elgin elementary school will remain closed through Monday after mold was found in several classrooms, hallways, and commons areas, school district officials said. The District’s Plant Operations Department has been working to remediate the mold discovered in classrooms at Coleman Elementary School. U-46 officials said in a statement Wednesday the decision to close Coleman came after crews found additional mold in common areas, like hallways, in the older portion of the building.

The school has been closed since Thursday. On Thursday afternoon, district officials determined the school would need to be closed through Sept. 17. The Thursday statement from district officials reads:

While the risk remains low, the District is taking all steps to remediate, inspect and conduct air quality testing with an environmental company and send those results to a lab for analysis. We recognize this causes a hardship for families and we too are sorry for any inconvenience and that students will miss instructional time.

The school district also provided answers to frequently asked questions below.

When was Coleman tested for mold?

A: The building was tested and cleaned in early August as part of a routine inspection. The principal of Coleman Elementary Tuesday night contacted Plant Operations with a report of the potential of mold. Plant Operations confirmed the presence of mold on Wednesday. One classroom was closed and relocated to a computer lab during the school day. Further inspection after school on Wednesday confirmed the presence of mold in other classrooms and common areas, like hallways, in the older portion of the building. The decision to close the building has been made as a precaution. Logistically, it is easier to inspect, test, and clean a building when it is unoccupied.

Q: When will the District know when staff and students can return to the school?

A: The District’s procedure to re-open schools includes visual inspection as well as confirmation through air quality laboratory testing. Plant Operations will alert Coleman Elementary’s administration when staff and students can return to the building and we will communicate that information in a timely manner.

Q: How does the District inspect all locations for mold?

A: Schools are visually inspected for mold periodically and through routine inspections of plant operations staff.

Q: Do U-46 custodians know to check for mold and report to Plant Operation if they see any sign of mold during their regular maintenance work?

A: Yes, custodians walk the building daily and know how to check for mold and report back to supervisors.

Q: When have we tested our other schools?

A: District staff inspects schools for mold on a periodic basis and upon notification of a concern. We took additional steps at Coleman to check for mold upon receiving the report Tuesday night and in consideration of the unusually high humidity and warm temperatures in Northern Illinois over the past few weeks.

Q: What does the District do when it finds mold?

A: If mold is observed, Plant Operations immediately starts a remediation plan and project following guidelines by the Environmental Protection Agency. The District uses a third party expert to inspect and test the remediation efforts. The test includes an air sample by the third party expert.

Q: How does the District know when a mold issue has been resolved?

A: The District uses a third party expert on the remediation and laboratory testing of mold.

Q: Is Coleman at a certain “action level” that is above EPA or Health guidelines?

A: We took action based on our visual inspection of mold. We believe that the level of mold is low but it has been found in the common areas, causing us to test the air quality and continue our visual inspection.

Q: If staff or parents at other U-46 schools have concerns what should they do?

If anyone has a concern or are uncomfortable about any situation, we ask that they please notify their supervisor or principal so we can respond and investigate. Staff and parents are also welcome to share concerns with District officials through Let's Talk, our online customer service tool.