RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Over a month after Richmond Public Schools (RPS) teachers pressed the school board about the presence of mold in their classrooms, a new solution to address the problem is on the table.
RPS staff, students and parents have been sounding the alarm about mold in the city’s schools for weeks, with the parent of a student at Boushall Middle School saying in September that her son came home with mold on his jacket after it touched a desk that was covered in mold.
The growing concerns over the mold eventually caused the Richmond Electoral Board to move polling locations out of Boushall and Clark Springs Elementary School, but the decision was reversed after RPS conducted air quality testing at the two schools which determined that they were safe.
At a school board meeting on Monday, Oct. 16, RPS leaders are discussing a proposed new policy which could address the concerns over mold. Under the policy, staff members would be trained on how to recognize and report mold — and staff, students and visitors would be required to formally report any mold they see by filling out a form.
According to RPS, full buildings tests have been ordered at Maymont Preschool, Woodville Elementary School and Elizabeth D. Redd Elementary School. It would cost over $300,000 to conduct full building tests at the schools in which full testing has not yet been done.
