Families with kindergarteners at Westwood Elementary still don't know when their children will get an orientation day, even as the rest of Friendswood ISD prepares to open Aug. 18.
The district confirmed Tuesday, Aug. 11, that both Kinder Camp and Meet the Teacher have been postponed with no rescheduled dates, according to KGTX 7 News. Friendswood ISD said it intends to hold both events before students return to campus, but families at the 464-student school are waiting without a timeline.
The Aug. 24 reopening target remains in place, but the scope of remediation work has grown well beyond the HVAC and carpet replacement we reported Aug. 9. The scope now includes:
- Commercial-grade air scrubbers installed throughout the campus to target airborne mold, bacteria and viruses. They will remain in operation until permanent units are installed inside the HVAC system.
- All interior carpet removed for replacement.
- Rooftop HVAC units serving the kindergarten area demolished and removed. Those units were identified as a significant source of increased moisture during the summer.
- Wall assemblies being tested, with sections removed and replaced where conditions warrant.
- A third floor-to-ceiling cleaning of the entire campus with antimicrobial cleaner.
The remediation contractor, Texas General Contractors, was brought in after the mold was discovered to evaluate conditions and carry out the work, according to KPRC 2. A July environmental test found penicillium and cladosporium mold in air and surface samples throughout the building, though testing did not identify black mold, according to the Houston Chronicle.
The root cause traced to two problems: the campus HVAC couldn't manage humidity during summer months, and moisture from part of the system saturated sections of the roof deck and seeped into the building.
In its Aug. 5 letter to families announcing the closure, the district acknowledged it "fell short" of its responsibility to provide safe learning environments and committed to stronger monitoring and maintenance procedures.
Friendswood ISD said the school will not reopen until third-party environmental professionals determine the building is safe. If additional work or testing is needed, the Aug. 24 date could shift again. The district is also exploring options for students to make up lost instructional time, which could include adding days to the end of the school year.
The rest of Friendswood ISD opens Tuesday, Aug. 18. No other campuses were affected.
