Mold problem in Fairhaven school

FAIRHAVEN, MASS. (WPRI) – Dozens of concerned parents came out for an emergency school board meeting on Saturday after learning there children’s school may be harboring unhealthy levels of mold.

240 students were supposed to start school at Oxford Elementary in Fairhaven on Tuesday, but the start of school has now been pushed back to September 4th.

School officials tell Eyewitness news that the high levels of mold were found in the gymnasium, several classrooms and the media lab.

The school committee hopes airing out the building will lower those mold levels.

"What we're trying to do now is trying to push air out of the building.  This is ancient, and i say ancient, historical mold and can be pushed out because it doesn't  appear to be growing mold. It appears to be old mold," said Fairhaven Superintendent Dr. Robert Baldwin.

The Oxford Elementary has been closed for several years, but the school committee decided to re-open the building for the 2012-2013 school year in order to accommodate students from Wood Elementary, while their school is being rebuilt.

If they are not able to get rid of the mold problem the students may be shifted again to another school in the district.

The school committee is going to retest the air at the Oxford Elementary school on Monday and Wednesday.

All other schools in the Fairhaven school district will start as planned on Tuesday.