Flint, MI— Doyle-Ryder Elementary has closed to students after officials discovered mold in some of its classrooms Aug. 30.
“During a routine inspection of Doyle-Ryder, our staff discovered mold in classrooms that was not visible the last time students were in school. At Flint Community Schools, the safety and well-being of our staff and scholars is always a primary concern, so we immediately prohibited students from entering their classrooms and canceled school for the week to conduct remediation efforts,” Kevelin Jones, Assistant Superintendent for Flint Community Schools, said in a statement.
The closure comes after a week of districtwide school cancelations due to heat. Nine of Flint Schools’ buildings do not have central air conditioning, causing uncomfortable conditions for students and staff.
Since fall semester started Aug. 4, the district has canceled 10 days of classes. Michigan law allows school districts to cancel up to six days of instruction per school year without penalty. Heat days and snow days count towards this time.
The district will likely be required to make up the time to continue receiving state funding.
“Please be assured that the district remains committed to the safety of our school community and the academic, social and emotional growth of our scholars. We are working on contingency plans for the students of Doyle-Ryder to ensure they continue to receive the support they need. We apologize to our Doyle-Ryder families for the inconvenience presented by this closure,” Jones said.
It is not clear when Doyle-Ryder will reopen.
Unfortunately, a lot of schools may have mold in them and they all need to be checked out before letting students back in. Black mold can instantly kill if you sniff it. Many of them are OLD and not have been inspected in such a long time. Who knows what can be found that is hazardous? Better safe than sorry and dead!
More schools need to be air conditioned and maybe the mold would not happen. Why suffer the heat?? Can’t they afford to put air conditioning in these schools no more?? It’s a shame that students suffer due to these unnecessary issues!