Classes canceled at HMS Tuesday, Wednesday after mold discovery

HINSDALE The holiday weekend will be extended longer than expected for students at Hinsdale Middle School (HMS) after low concentrations of mold were found at the school.

On Jan. 16, mold testing was conducted at HMS by Integrity Environmental Services, who were on site to perform deep cleaning and removal of wet drywall. The results from these samples showed low concentrations of mold spores on the drywall and surface samples tested, according to a letter from School District 181 to the community.

The district is working with SERVPRO and Integrity Environmental Services to eradicate the mold following the microbial remediation guidelines provided by Integrity, according to the letter.

After this work is complete, additional testing will be completed prior to resuming classes at HMS, which have been canceled for Tuesday and Wednesday.

According to the letter, the evening before classes resume there will be a meeting where parents and staff can tour the facility and hear reports from representatives from SERVPRO and Integrity Environmental Services.

In addition, the District 181 Board of Education will be holding an emergency meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at Elm School for the purpose of addressing HMS facility issues, stated a letter to the community.

The board will hear reports from Integrity Environmental Services and SERVPRO, as well as consider expenditures related to additional steps to address facility needs at HMS.

Representatives from SERVPRO and Integrity Environmental Services indicated that two additional steps to remediate the mold found in HMS should be recommended to the Board of Education for completion prior to resuming classes. These recommendations involve cleaning the ductwork throughout the building and removing the cove molding (baseboards) and any drywall that touches the flooring, according to the letter.

These recommendations will be made to the board for approval during the emergency meeting Monday. If the board approves the recommendations, the anticipated completion time would require that classes at HMS be canceled through Friday.

For more information, visit d181.org.

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Classes canceled at HMS Tuesday, Wednesday after mold discovery