Students at a New Jersey elementary school are being temporarily relocated to other buildings after mold was discovered in their building.
The Asbury Park Press reports that Laura Donovan Elementary School in Freehold may be closed for months as remediation takes place.
"Our plan will provide safe, stable class space and ample time to provide a clean Donovan building," Freehold Township School Board President Michael Amoroso wrote in a letter to the school community.
Laura Donovan Elementary has about 460 students in kindergarten through fifth grade, according to the New Jersey Department of Education.
School officials said the source of the mold remains under investigation by engineers and district consultants. Custodial staff discovered the mold earlier this summer.
Because the district's enrollment has declined over the years from a high of 4,500 students to 3,400, it has plenty of classroom space to accommodate the Donovan students and teachers, Amoroso says.
"The relocated students will be in individual classrooms with their respective Donovan teacher and classmates," the school board president says.
Remediation efforts are taking longer than originally expected, Superintendent Neal Dickstein said.
"We anticipate that these alternate arrangements may last several months, and we are committed to communicating regular updates with parents and staff as information becomes available," Dickstein said.
- Donovan kindergarteners will be bused to C. Richard Applegate Elementary.
- First and second graders will attend Marshall W. Errickson Elementary.
- Third and fourth graders will be relocated to West Freehold Elementary.
- Fifth graders will go to Joseph J. Catena Elementary.
