Concerns over air quality have caused the West Shamokin High School to delay the first day of classes.
In a message sent to West Shamokin High School Parents, Armstrong School District officials said the start of school for West Shamokin High School Students will be September 6th, two days after the rest of the district is scheduled to start. The letter states that on August 29th, custodians discovered a fabric chair that was discolored in a classroom. It was believed that mold caused the discoloration, and the custodian notified the director of facilities. All rooms were inspected and air quality samples were taken. The air quality samples revealed that four rooms had mold spores higher than what is found outside. As a precaution, air quality testing was performed throughout the district starting August 30th.
Starting this morning, Reynolds Restoration Services will begin a thorough cleaning and remediation of the affected areas at West Shamokin. Once the cleaning is complete, devices using HEPA Filters will be used for air and carpet cleaning. Further samples will be taken then.
Letters and phone messages went out to West Shamokin parents notifying them of the change. At this point, only the West Shamokin High school is affected. The other schools in the Armstrong School District, including Armstrong Jr./Sr. High School will have their first day on September 4th as scheduled.
The letter sent to district parents can be found here.