Yesterday the DOE released the following statement in response to the situation at Holualoa Elementary school:

“After receiving reports of poor indoor air quality and mold contamination, HIDOE’s Environmental Services Unit conducted a mold assessment on Jan. 5. School custodians had cleaned prior to the visit so little mold was observed but school staff provided photos documenting mold in various classrooms. Samples from four classrooms verified the presence of spores from common species of mold that may affect those who have sensitivity and/or allergies. There was no evidence of black mold. Students and teachers in two classrooms have been temporarily relocated to alternate settings while the mold issue is addressed.

The Department provided near-term, intermediate and long-term recommendations to the school which include:

• Raising the temperature in the server room and/or insulating the shared walls to minimize condensation on adjacent classroom walls.
• Promoting cross-ventilation in all rooms during school hours by opening windows and exhausting air to the outside on one side of the room using fans to minimize condensation.
• Deep cleaning of all rooms that have mold issues and increasing cleaning and upkeep by the school team and additional casual hires.
• Procuring dehumidifiers for each room and running them overnight to lower the relative humidity overnight. Initial sensor monitoring data is encouraging.
• Removing carpets and painting of classroom with mold inhibiting paint (longer term)

Efforts are in progress to initiate renovation of at least two portables that are currently vacant to increase classroom capacity while other classrooms are renovated.”