Mold Forces Lakehurst Students To Start Year In Other Places

LAKEHURST, NJ — Lakehurst Elementary School teachers and students will start the 2018-19 school year under makeshift conditions, while mold remediation is conducted throughout the school, the superintendent said on the school's website.

The elementary school will be closed possibly until mid-November, Superintendent Loren Fuhring told parents Wednesday night at a special meeting of the school board, according to a report in the Asbury Park Press. The cleanup will cost about $1 million, as all furniture and classroom equipment must be replaced in addition to the cleaning that must be done, the report said.

Some of the students from the school, which houses pre-kindergarten through eighth grades, will have classes in classroom space at St. John's Roman Catholic Church on Chestnut Street, Fuhring's notice said. The remainder of the students will be in temporary classrooms at four Manchester schools, presumably the three elementary schools and middle school.

Preliminary results from TTI Environmental on mold testing throughout the school building prompted the decision to close the building and keep it closed until the remediation is completed "and we can ensure that the building is safe for students and staff," Fuhring said.

Because the mold has forced the school to get rid of everything, efforts are being discussed on how the community can help the teachers have the needed supplies for their makeshift classrooms. Patch will update with specifics when details about collection drives become available, but everything from books to pencils will need to be replaced.

Fuhring said the school district would post further details on its website as they become settled.

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