With one school permanently closed because of mold and another scheduled to close by the end of the month, the Scranton School District will soon start testing the air in all of its buildings.
School board members said they hope to see routine air testing start "as soon as possible," with the district's oldest buildings being tested first.
"We want to try to be proactive and just provide a better environment for the kids," board President Bob Lesh said.
Officials do not yet know what the testing will cost, but say it is necessary to ensure safety in the district's 17 schools, many of which were built decades ago.
John Audubon Elementary School was permanently closed by the board earlier this year because of mold, and William Prescott Elementary School is scheduled to be temporarily closed by the end of October. The move is pending air quality reports from the former Nativity Catholic school, which district crews have been cleaning and officials hope to have tested this week.
After mold was found in Prescott's cafeteria last month, the district's environmental engineering firm, Guzek Associates, recommended the school be closed for a thorough cleaning and mold inspection. But with a Prescott air report from last week showing the air quality is acceptable, officials are still considering if a move is absolutely necessary, or if work can wait until summer.
"We're hoping very much that we won't have to make a move," Superintendent William King said.
Officials are also waiting for air quality results from Neil Armstrong Elementary School, which was tested last week. The school's roof had leaked for several years, and the roof replacement was expected to be done last week. Results from Armstrong should be available on Tuesday or Wednesday, Mr. Lesh said.
Along with scheduling regular air quality testing of district buildings, someone in the maintenance department should be trained in how to detect mold, said Director Bob Sheridan, chairman of the buildings and grounds committee.
Mr. Lesh said the maintenance department is also working on making electronic records of building upkeep to keep better track of when preventive work may need to be done. "We certainly don't want this to happen again," he said.
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