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Aug 03, 2023

First Flight Elementary and Middle Schools cleared to reopen

Next up in 5 Example video title will go here for this video KILL DEVIL HILLS, N.C. — Dare County's First Flight Elementary and Middle Schools are cleared to reopen, with the exception of one room in

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KILL DEVIL HILLS, N.C. — Dare County's First Flight Elementary and Middle Schools are cleared to reopen, with the exception of one room in each building, after closing to deal with mold issues.

Last week, Dare County school officials called an emergency meeting last week to deal with mold custodians found in the schools.

After inspection, the two rooms that were not cleared will stay closed for now. They will be cleaned overnight and retested in the morning, according to a news release. Because the common strain of mold found is isolated in the rooms, air quality experts cleared staff to safely return to both buildings.

The two rooms of concern will remain closed off until they pass air quality assessments. Industrial hygienists will conduct a follow-up test Wednesday, after work is done to remove remaining mold, the release said.

Last week, Dare County Schools Superintendent Stephen Basnight said the mold could be found sporadically throughout the building.

"It was not everywhere, but it was on computer covers, tables, carpets, and furniture," said Basnight. "We want to be transparent about the process, and more than anything, we don't want the mold in the buildings."

School board members thought the mold may have spread throughout the schools because of an issue with the boilers. This coupled with hot temperatures and high humidity allowed the mold to thrive.

Basnight said their team of custodians tried to take care of the problem on their own, but the mold returned.

"We came in and we tried to clean it -- that was last Thursday -- where we wiped everything down. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday we saw some more come back and by Monday we were repeating the same process over and over again."

Dare County's Department of Health and Human Services visited both campuses Tuesday morning to identify areas of concern. According to the release, they offered three suggestions: replacing a ceiling tile, cleaning ceiling returns in higher ceilings and monitoring rust on air vents.

Dare County Schools maintenance staff are addressing those suggestions. A detailed written report will be shared after Wednesday's testing.

The new school year begins on August 28.