Time needed to clear mold before students return, Monessen superintendent says

The Monessen City School District has to make a pivot before the start of the school year, and its superintendent is receiving both support and concerns from the community.

Dr. Robert Motte has confirmed the details surrounding the air quality testing done on the Monessen High School building after a district worker found mold in the building during routine maintenance in late July. The air quality testing report showed varying levels of mold found in multiple bathrooms, a concession room and the cafeteria.

"We shut that down, and sealed it off in the building," said Motte. "Now we're going to get that taken care of. They're going to start cleaning that. Then we're going to reconstruct the areas that need reconstructed."

Because of the work ordered, the building will not be open for the first day of school on Aug. 25. It will instead be closed until Sept. 8, but the district is weighing all options in order for students to learn in person. None of the fall sports will be interrupted, nor will the district's Career Technology Center.

"Monessen is a great community," said Motte, thanking the people who have offered other facilities as alternatives. "A lot of people are willing to help. We're still looking at local churches, local buildings that are available for us. It's almost like at this point, we have a choice of what we're going to do, where we can go, which is great."

Motte said he has heard from both parents and staff and admitted he understands their concerns. But he told KDKA he considers this two-week postponement to open the building as a small inconvenience but one with a better outcome.

"We're going to take care of this, get everything back to how it was, and then we'll be back in school," he said. "It's just a delay, adapting to something different, but it's going to be better once we finish this."

Motte said they took the process of inspecting the building very seriously, testing and correcting everything they can until it's safe and sound for everyone to return.

"The number one priority — before learning — is to make sure this environment is safe, and that's what we're trying to do here," he said. "People may be frustrated, but it takes time to make sure things are safe."