LUMBERTON — It remains unclear when students in the Public Schools of Robeson County will return to class, but the system has announced that it won’t be through at least Wednesday of this week.
School has been out since Sept. 12, two days before Hurricane Florence began its three-day beat-down of Robeson County. Damage was done to multiple schools, but all are being tested or have been for the possibility of mold.
Superintendent Shanita Wooten is now saying a “staggered” approach may be needed when schools begin reopening.
”Mold contamination is worse after Hurricane Florence because of the warm and wet conditions (high humidity) in September,” Wooten said in a statement to The Robesonian. “Those factors are fueling mold growth in vacant classrooms, schools, auditoriums and district facilities. Unfortunately, the same conditions have now carried over into October.”
Wooten said some employees who work at schools that are safe will be asked to report to work on Monday at the request of their principals.
“It will vary across the district,” she said, adding school administrators and custodians must be available.
Central office employees, who are temporarily assigned to Lumberton Junior High School, will continue following their regular schedules. She said the junior high is safe for occupancy. Finance staff is continuing to work at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke, and all departments located in the U.S. 74 warehouse will follow normal schedules.
Outdoor sports activities continue as scheduled.
“Most of the teams practice outside,” she said. “Most gyms and locker rooms are unaffected and available. This has given our students and communities a sense of normalcy during the recovery process.”
The system has contracted Duncklee & Dunham PC, an environmental services company from Cary, to check schools and do air-quality tests.
“They are also working with professionals responsible for large-scale cleanup and are suggesting remediation/abatement strategies,” Wooten said. “Once samples are collected by environmental teams and sent to laboratories for analysis, Duncklee & Dunham gives recommendations back to the district on whether the levels detected in samples are adequate for the affected areas to be reopened.”
Wooten said some schools may open before others.
”Realistically, some schools or district facilities in Robeson County could stay closed for cleanup programs that could last for an extended period,” Wooten said. “Without testing results, it is difficult to determine a start date or adopt a revised calendar. Although inconvenient for families and employees, we may be forced to develop a staggered approach when reopening. This means opening schools as they are cleaned and cleared by professionals.”
Last week the General Assembly passed legislation allowing affected school systems, including Robeson’s, to have excused as many as 20 missed school days. Wooten said that local students will have missed 20 days at the end of the day on Tuesday.
