All of South Brunswick High School Tested for Mold, Results Negative

South Brunswick, NJ - Last Friday, Patch reported that mold had been found in five classrooms at South Brunswick High School.

The five rooms were closed off to students and staff for 7 days last week as the mold was cleaned up. And on Wednesday, district superintendent Gary McCartney announced that the entire high school has been tested for mold spores and all 93 air samples have come back negative.

"I knew there was a level of concern we had to address," McCartney told Patch. "I moved as quickly as I could saying I need those results. I wanted to do it Saturday when the high school would be empty."

On Saturday morning, 93 air quality tests were taken and analyzed in a lab by a New Jersey certified company. This included locations such as classrooms, hallways, stairwells, locker rooms, team rooms, faculty rooms, gymnasiums, cafeterias/serving areas, and additional common areas. The results came back Tuesday night: The tests are acceptable when compared to air quality outside the high school.

A letter to parents informing them of the test results will be sent out Wednesday afternoon.

"Out of abundant caution and concern for the health, safety and welfare of all who inhabit South Brunswick High School, we deemed it necessary to assess the total air quality of the entire school," McCartney wrote in a letter to the high school staff, sent out Wednesday. "We are very pleased to report that ALL of the air samples provided acceptable results when compared contemporaneously with outside air."

McCartney did admit the district should be faster about removing ceiling tiles that may have water damage on them, such as this tile above, provided to Patch and taken from inside South Brunswick High School.

"The marked ceiling tiles, we should remove them quicker than we do," he said. "But it's not necessarily mold."