The 464 students at Westwood Elementary walked back into their Friendswood campus Monday, Aug. 24, ending a weeks-long mold crisis that delayed the start of their school year and cost four instructional days.
Parents and guardians were allowed to walk their children to class on the first day back, according to ABC 13. Third-party environmental professionals confirmed all 26 areas tested across the campus met air quality standards before the reopening, KHOU reported.
The rest of Friendswood ISD started the school year on schedule Tuesday, Aug. 18. No other campuses were affected.
What happened
Campus administrators reported increased moisture and visible surface mold over the summer. A third-party consultant hired by the district found elevated levels of Penicillium/Aspergillus and Cladosporium in air and surface samples, though no black mold or other toxic mold was detected.
The root cause, according to Click2Houston: the campus HVAC system failed to manage moisture levels during the summer, and moisture from the system saturated sections of the roof deck and infiltrated parts of the building.
In an Aug. 5 letter to parents, the district under Superintendent Thad Roher acknowledged it fell short of community expectations for safe learning environments and took responsibility for correcting both the immediate issues and underlying causes.
What the district did
Remediation contractor Texas General Contractors completed extensive work before the reopening, including:
- Installing commercial-grade air scrubbers throughout the campus
- Removing and replacing all interior carpet
- Three rounds of antimicrobial cleaning from floor to ceiling
- Demolishing and replacing HVAC units serving the kindergarten area
- Testing and replacing wall assemblies in affected areas
Teachers and staff returned Wednesday, Aug. 19, to prepare classrooms ahead of students.
Make-up days and the TEA waiver
Of the four missed instructional days, two are covered by the district's existing bank of instructional minutes. Friendswood ISD said it will ask the Texas Education Agency for a two-day waiver to excuse the remaining days. As of Monday, TEA had not yet granted or denied that request.
The district also chose not to reschedule Kinder Camp or Meet the Teacher events; instead, teachers visited students at their homes.
What's next
The TEA waiver decision timeline has not been announced. Friendswood ISD said it will post the final written environmental report on the Westwood Elementary website once received.
