No active mold reported, students to stay at Prescott Elementary

After receiving the latest air quality tests, the Scranton School Board unanimously voted at a special meeting to keep students at William Prescott Elementary School, although it could mean longer days and a shorter school year for students.

The board made the announcement after tests revealed no indication of active mold growth or airborne microbial concerns.

Parents clapped as the board announced students would not be moved to the former Nativity Elementary.

Various tests performed on rooms in the elementary school Oct. 8 indicated safe mold counts, which school board members attribute to the spot remediation and intensive cleaning the rooms had undergone.

"I'm pleased with everything that's been done by maintenance and your staff," Joe Guzek of Guzek Associates said as he addressed board members and parents at a special meeting regarding the mold issue Monday night at the school.

Guzek Associates is the district's environmental engineering firm.

School board President Bob Lesh, along with directors Sean O'Shea, Kathleen McGuigan and Bill Fox were not in attendance.

The board estimates the project to completely remove the mold could take three months and is considering shortening the school year by three months so it can be completed over summer break.

Superintendent Bill King met with parents and administrators last week to discuss a tentative plan for shortening the school year to May 17 and adding approximately 45 minutes to each school day starting Nov. 5 to meet state and federal education hour requirements, he said.

The extended summer vacation would allow Guzek Associates to property repair the moldy areas of the building completely so the 2013-2014 school year wouldn't be interrupted. School is currently slated to end June 10, according to the school district's website.

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No active mold reported, students to stay at Prescott Elementary