Residents Crowd Forum on Mold Problem at Collins School

Frustration was the emotion of the night at  as parents sought answers to a slew of questions that caused the of the .

At a forum attended by Superintendent of Schools Karen Wood and Dean Allison, business administrator/board secretary, experts sought to assure parents that the cleanup process will rid the school completely of the mold.

Cleanup efforts were described in great detail. Michael Reilly, owner of Servepro, Toms River, explained that every single item in the school will either be thrown out or cleaned with a hepa vacuum process, wiped with a detergent and vacuumed again.

"The key is to get rid of the moisture," said Reilly. "Without it mold cannot grow."

But parents weren't convinced. Many insisted that items be tested after they're cleaned to ensure that 'invisible' mold is completely removed.

An area of concern centered around the fact that furniture, books and supplies have already gone through the cleaning process and are being used at the four other schools. Some in the audience were concerned about the possibility of mold spreading to the other schools.

Wood told parents that she would look into having those items that were moved to other schools go through further testing.

"Sampling in the other schools is not a problem," she said.

Busing was an issue as students were originally being driven to the Collins school then boarding a different bus to go to the school they were moved to. Parents of kindergartners were particularly vocal.

"None of us are completely satisfied," said George Delaporte, principal of the Collins school. "We're working very hard to get that fixed. Getting home has been the issue - it's taking too long."

 The school, which has been closed since early this month, will most likely not open before December, according to Reilly.

Cost also was a concern since it was revealed that a leaky roof would have to be repaired and the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system would need attention.

"The Collins School is the only school without a total HVAC system," Woods explained. "Only a HVAC will take the moisture out of the air."

The district must address the leaky roof and contend with the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system. "That's the first step," said Timothy Popp, director of Environmental Consulting.

The district will not know the total cost to the district for several weeks, according to Allison.

The specific mold found at the school is aspergillus penicillium, according to Popp.

The 300-plus students who attend the school have been spread out among the three other district elementary schools and  since the first day of school.

 "We're going to move as fast as we can," said Dean Allison, business administrator/board secretary. "This has an extremely high priority."