Poway Unified School District shares update on mold and moisture testing

School is set to continue as scheduled this week at Black Mountain Middle School after the Poway Unified School District announced mold and moisture issues shut down several classroom.

Twelve classrooms were thoroughly cleaned for mold by an industrial hygienist this weekend.

They are expected to be re-tested tomorrow afternoon.

As of now, no classes are going on in those affected rooms, but the ordeal has left parents feeling frustrated.

“How long has she been exposed to toxic mold in classrooms during the time she’s been a student in Poway Unified School District?” Jennifer Dahlquist said.

That’s the question she and many parents whose kids attend Black Mountain Middle School want answers to after they received a letter from the district Saturday night notifying them about mold and moisture in some classrooms.

Today Poway Unified released a summary of the lab results from tests an industrial hygienist conducted on Aug. 15 and Aug. 18. The district also released the preliminary air sample results synopsis, and the room-by-room summary.

In total, 12 classrooms and two additional rooms were tested.

Half of the classrooms came back with high or moderate levels of mold. They include rooms 1001, 1012, 1013, 1014, 1015, and1016.

The industrial hygienist recommended additional investigation, cleaning and remediation for those rooms, which the district said will happen on Monday.

The district notified parents that the affected classrooms won’t be reopened until the next round of testing is complete.

“I would have appreciated an email on the day that my daughter was taken out of the classroom,” Dahlquist said.

Jennifer’s daughter, Elliette, is an eighth-grade student at Black Mountain Middle School whose classroom was relocated.

She told her mother they were relocated the second day of classes, but Dahlquist didn’t find out about it until last week when her daughter told her.

“There’s a feeling that there’s a lack of transparency,” Dahlquist said.

“I think every one of our schools needs to be thoroughly inspected for mold,” she said.

Poway Unified said the cause of the mold remains under investigation.

A spokesperson confirmed to NBC 7 San Diego that school will be in Session Monday Aug. 24.

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