ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Students at Maplewood-Richmond Heights Elementary School will return to in-person learning on Wednesday after a burst water pipe caused damage to the school over the holiday break.
According to a letter sent to district families, district director of communications Ed Rich said air quality tests at the school found mold levels were not elevated inside the school, and the building was safe for students to return. It comes a day after the district opted for virtual learning due to air-quality tests.
The message said teachers will teach virtual classes from inside the school building on Tuesday so they can prepare their classrooms for Wednesday. On Wednesday, students and teachers will return to in-person learning for the first time since December.
The pipe burst on Christmas Day, right inside the main doors of the school, and damage was extensive. Affected areas included 19 classrooms, offices and the gymnasium floor.
Students and staff were supposed to return to in-person learning Monday. Instead, they were notified of air quality issues.
In a video posted on the district website Sunday, superintendent Bonita Jamison said the district met with contractors to further understand the levels of mold spores reported in some areas of the building after an air quality assessment on Thursday.
According to Monday's message, the environmental assessment on Monday was conducted by Professional Service Industries (PSI) based on 11 samples from an indoor quality check at 8 a.m.
The full message is as follows:
Good evening,
We are pleased to report that today’s environmental assessment of the Elementary School following the December 25 water pipe rupture revealed air quality levels which are well within the range to safely occupy the building. This means we can now begin the process of transitioning back to campus.
- On Tuesday, January 10, MRH Elementary School teachers will continue to provide remote instruction from within the school building. This will give them time to prepare their classrooms for Wednesday.
- MRHE students will return to the school building on Wednesday, January 11, for in-person instruction.
Today’s environmental assessment by Professional Service Industries (PSI) was based on eleven samples from an indoor air quality check at 8:00 a.m. The samples were taken from classrooms on both floors, offices, the cafeteria, and the gymnasium. A sample was also taken from outside the building. Findings were presented to MRH administrators at 3:30 p.m. Results: aspergillus/penicillium spores were detected at concentrations below the outdoor comparison air sample (300 count/m3) and/or the Missouri Outdoor Fungal Average (range between 67 to 730 count/m3).
The MRH Board of Education will receive a full briefing of the report by PSI representatives at its January 19 monthly meeting.
The MRH facilities team will keep up a sustained effort to ensure a safe and healthy space for teaching and learning, such as installing ionizers in the MRHE heating/cooling system as well as additional air quality tests scheduled throughout the year.
We are grateful to our MRH Elementary families for their patience and support during a trying period.
Please reach out with your questions.
Ed Rich, Director of Communications
Maplewood Richmond Heights School District