Families in the Friendswood Independent School District are facing a delayed start to the school year at one of its campuses, after mold was discovered in the building. According to FOX 26 Houston, the affected school is Westwood Elementary, where the opening of classes has been pushed back for students.
District leaders said the mold at Westwood Elementary was caused by an HVAC system that was not properly pulling moisture out of the air. The excess moisture that the system failed to remove created the conditions in which the mold was able to form inside the school building.
In response, the district said the faulty HVAC system has already been replaced. A roof replacement has also been scheduled as part of the work being done to address the problems at the campus, the station reported, as crews move to make the building ready for students.
The delay means several start-of-year activities at Westwood Elementary will not go ahead as originally planned. Kinder camp, meet the teacher, and the first day of school itself are all affected and will not happen on their scheduled dates, according to FOX 26 Houston.
The disruption is limited to the one campus. District officials said all of the other schools in Friendswood ISD will open as planned, with those campuses set to begin classes on August 18, meaning the delay affects only the families whose children attend Westwood Elementary.
District officials also sought to ease concerns about the type of mold involved. They said that even though there is mold at the school, there is no evidence that any black mold was found in the building, according to the station's report.