Mold Discovery Delays Middletown School Start Date To Sept. 13

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — The discovery of mold in several classrooms at Nut Swamp and Lincroft elementary schools has delayed the start of the school year for every school in the district, Middletown superintendent Mary Ellen Walker announced Tuesday.

The first day of school was supposed to be Sept. 8 but it has now been pushed back to Sept. 13 for the entire Middletown school district, as all schools will now be checked for mold, she said.

"September 13 is the start of the school year for all students," Walker confirmed to Patch.

The 2021-22 school calendar will also have to be changed to fit in the make-up days for September 8, 9 and 10.

All kindergarten, preschool and new student orientations scheduled for this week will be postponed.

Any student participating in fall athletics, band and other co-curriculars that are already underway will continue with outdoor practices as previously scheduled. However, locker rooms will be temporarily closed.

"Surface mold was discovered in several classrooms at Lincroft and Nut Swamp Elementary Schools. An environmental consultant was on site yesterday and confirmed that moisture caused mold in these classrooms," wrote Walker in this letter sent home to parents Tuesday, Aug. 31.

"To ensure the environments in our buildings are safe for students and staff, the consultant will be testing each room in all elementary, middle, and high schools in the district. During that time, all of our buildings will be closed to students, visitors, and staff, with the exception of our facilities department staff, as needed.The testing and remediation work will extend past the scheduled start of the school year for students. Therefore, we anticipate students’ first day will be Monday, September 13."

While Walker did not specify in her letter, the new Sept. 13 start date applies to every school in the district.

Walker said staff visually inspected all other elementary school classrooms throughout the district, and did not note any visible mold.

However, the Middletown school district hired an environmental consultant who will "develop a comprehensive corrective action plan, which will begin with removing the moisture from the rooms."

The school district also had to hire a second outside vendor, a service company to remove the mold "as outlined in the consultant’s action plan."

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