‘Microbial growth’ in NC school’s HVAC system forces switch to remote learning
As Rowan County reports more COVID and other respiratory illnesses among the young since school started Aug. 10, West Rowan Middle has temporarily closed its campus and switched to remote learning, health and school officials said.
The closing through this week will allow for the “thorough cleaning and sanitizing of the school” after “new evidence of microbial growth’’ was found again in the HVAC system, Rowan-Salisbury Chief of Schools Greggory Slate said in a phone message to parents late Monday.
“We apologize for this inconvenience,” he said.
A school district spokeswoman provided The Charlotte Observer a copy of the message after the newspaper inquired about parental complaints on social media over the past week that some of their children developed respiratory illnesses at the school.
At the same time, the county has experienced a higher rate of COVID cases among ages 17 and under, “although our rates overall are decreasing,” Rowan County Public Health Director Alyssa Harris told the Observer on Tuesday.
For the week ending Aug. 6, Rowan County reported 34 COVID cases in children ages 5-17, state data show. That number increased to 41 the following week, according to the most recent figures available.
“Back to school time often ushers in illness, as students are in close contact during the school day,” Harris said in an email.
A concerned West Rowan Middle School parent “did the right thing” by contacting the county health department on Aug. 17 about what the parent thought was mold in the school, Harris said.
“The school is complying and taking all of the necessary steps to ensure safety for students,” according to Harris.
It’s best to check with your primary care provider if you suspect your child was ill because of conditions in the school, Harris advised. A doctor must, by state law, report the case to the health department, she said.
Tests confirmed microbial growth again
Slate’s message to parents mentioned nothing about students becoming sick, only that another round of cleaning was needed immediately.
Late Monday afternoon, school officials received results from recent testing that confirmed the presence of microbial growth in the HVAC system, according to Slate’s message. The growth “cannot be addressed effectively at this stage if students and staff are in the building,” Slate said in his message.
Earlier this month, an independent consultant also tested the HVAC system after “custodial staff reported some microbial growth in the school and immediately reported to our district operations staff,” Slate told parents in the message.
Results of that testing “came back negative for mold, and additional janitorial crews were brought in to thoroughly clean and sanitize the impacted areas,” he said.
New evidence of microbial growth emerged Aug. 17, and tests began the same day, according to Slate.
Officials are investigating why the growth reappeared despite the cleaning, Slate said.
On Monday, a district spokeswoman told the Observer that school officials would have more information to release on Tuesday.
Moisture typically the cause
Moisture is the most likely culprit for mold and other biological agents forming and spreading, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services website.
Those agents can trigger allergies, asthma attacks and respiratory infections, state health officials said.
“Contaminated materials must be removed and discarded if they cannot be thoroughly cleaned,” according to NCDHHS. “Proper cleaning and building maintenance, especially moisture control, are essential in the control of mold and other biological agents.”
School inspected Aug. 18
After receiving the parent’s complaint, Rowan health officials sent the department’s environmental health program specialist to inspect the school on Aug. 18, Harris said.
The school had already installed air scrubbers/dehumidifiers “in almost every room that we saw,” Harris said.
“While a report of everything they are doing is not required, our team is in regular communication and conversation with the principal and school maintenance and are happy with the steps they are taking,” she said. “ ... The school and the health department both want to ensure a safe environment for children to learn.”
This story was originally published August 23, 2022 at 1:20 PM.
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