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Derby High School, off Chatfield Street in Derby.
DERBY — Click here for a follow-up story on this issue.
Superintendent Matthew Conway said the school district is dealing with a mold issue that was just discovered in two classrooms on the lower level of Derby High School.
The first day of school is Tuesday (Sept. 7), (please read the follow-up story for new info)so no students have encountered the mold. However, staff had reported back in order to prepare for the new school year.
Conway said a teacher in one of the rooms smelled mildew on Wednesday.
The school district hired a company to check it out while staffers worked remotely or at other schools. The effort included air and surface sampling.
Test results on Thursday night showed an elevated presence of Aspergillus, a common mold found indoors and outdoors.
According to the CDC, most people breathe Aspergillus spores into their bodies without a problem. However, “aspergillosis,” a fungal infection, from this type of mold can be a danger to people with weakened immune systems or serious lung diseases.
Conway said a preliminary report notes that the mold is not Stachybotrys (also known as “Black Mold”).
The classrooms where the mold was found will be sanitized.
Conway said the district will check to see if the mold is elsewhere in the school. Air and surface testing will continue.
A written report with more info from the company hired to investigate the mold problem is due Friday.
“The laboratory has promised that all of the air samples will be analyzed by 12:30 p.m. tomorrow (Friday),” Conway said.
In addition to the lower level classrooms at the high school (where there are eight classrooms), “testing was conducted in all areas of the building to include RAISE Academy and Little Raiders University,” Conway said.
The RAISE Academy is Derby’s alternate high school, while Little Raiders is the district’s pre‑K program in a separate wing of the building.
Derby High School was built in 1967. Conway noted the area where the mold was discovered was recently cleaned and prepped to welcome students and staff back. Conway suspects the recent rain, high humidity and a lack of airflow allowed the mold to take root.
“Our vendor will be working over the next two to four days to clean surfaces and remediate any of the impacted areas,” Conway said.
As the investigation continues over the next few days, the district has decided to put Derby High School on a three-hour delay for its first day back on Tuesday (Sept. 7). The idea is to give staff some time to complete setting up classrooms.
“Students will report at 11 a.m. Buses will run on a 3‑hour delayed schedule as well. This will give staff the time needed to get back into the building in the morning and set up their classrooms properly to start the school year. This may change as more information becomes available over the next 48 hours,” Conway said.
