Some Union Township elementary students to remain out of school during mold cleanup

Students will no longer be bused to other schools, but will instead have field days at nearby parks.

Chris Keating

Oct 29, 2024, 9:45 PM

Updated 57 days ago

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Officials at the Union Township School District have changed the plans for how to deal with a mold issue at Hannah Caldwell Elementary School.
Students will no longer be relocated to other buildings for classes on Wednesday and Thursday while the school is being cleaned of mold.
The Hannah Caldwell School was again closed on Tuesday and students remained home for a third-school day.
There were several Service Master trucks in the back of the school in a parking lot. There were also members of cleaning crews wearing masks, hard hats and vests going in and out of the building dedicated to cleaning mold.
Parents have been told the mold was found in the library and two classrooms. But some of those parents are disappointed they're not being told when their children may get back to learning in a classroom.
Ada Villacis has a fourth grader in the school. Her daughter Madison hasn’t been in a classroom since Thursday and no one from the district is telling her when this mold cleanup will be done.
“Not good, you know?” Villacis says. “They aren’t saying anything, not yet. They said maybe two weeks I don’t know. I'm not sure.”
School officials have decided they will not be busing students to other schools in the district in order to attend class. That was the original plan for Wednesday and Thursday.
Instead, students will go to school on those two days for two half-day field days in nearby parks. One of those will be Rabkin Park and the other will be Conlon Field. The day will last from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m.
On Wednesday, the district said in a notice that students will take part in games and physical education. On Thursday, the K-4 graders will have a fall harvest fest and a Halloween parade.
Students will have off from school on Friday for Diwali. However, it is not clear where students will be on Monday or if the cleanup will be complete.