WATERTOWN, Tenn. – Out of precaution, school officials have planned to move more than 250 elementary students to different classrooms because of mold.
Was the air safe to breathe? Concerned parents were worried about mold and sick kids in school and have demanding changes.
More than 250 students at Watertown Elementary School were set to move as a precautionary step to insure all the children are kept safe.
The problems at Watertown Elementary School started on a stormy July evening when a lightning bolt hit the building. The blast temporarily knocked out the HVAC units causing a humidity spike inside the building.
Photos, provided by a concerned parent, showed what they said happened next; in one word – mold.
"My biggest concern is the safety of our kids," said Kelly Boles, a concerned mother.
The school district staff understood the parents wanted answers. "The safety of our students and faculty is paramount to us," said Amelia Hipps with Wilson County Schools. "There were mild incidences of minor mold found in isolated areas because of high humidity."
Hipps said things like ceiling tiles or furniture with evidence of mold were removed, and air quality testing was done before school began.
"The tests came back as everything within the acceptable ranges," said Hipps.
Yet, that didn't completely satisfy mothers like Boles. She was upset the school didn't alert parents to the mold issue and recently took her son out of class .
"He comes into the office with a headache and stuffy nose and he went to school and was fine so I got him out so he would feel better," said Boles.
Hipps insisted there was no hazard. "It's safe. It's safe. The environment is safe," said Hipps.
Still, she said beginning Tuesday, the district will take additional precautionary steps.
They planned for all third graders to be shifted to a newer section of the school, while fourth and fifth graders would go to Watertown High for two weeks
That's 264 students moved until new better heat and air units are installed hopefully solving any mold issue.
"We are taking every precaution and going above and beyond what's recommended," said Hipps.
For the concerned parents, it was a wait and see. They expected the mold issue to be solved by the time students returned from their fall break in mid-October.
Wilson County schools did send a letter home Monday with each student, and made robo-calls alerting parents to the changes for the next two weeks before students leave for fall break.
To view the letter school officials sent home with students click here. Hipps made sure to point out one correction in the letter: Kid’s Club will be in the Pre-k gym and not the A gym, as stated in the letter.
