HOLLAND (WHTC-AM/FM) — Holland Language Academy, 461 Van Raalte Ave., will be closed for the 2019-20 school year, after the discovery of a mold spore colony. Classes will be moved to the former Longfellow school.
HLA parents and guardians are invited to informational meeting at 7 p.m. Aug. 15, at Holland High School’s performing arts center. This will include a presentation and Q&A session with HPS Superintendent Brian Davis and representatives from Summit Laboratory and Van Dam & Krusinga
Holland Public Schools officials emailed a statement to media on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019, explaining that they learned of the mold issue on Aug. 2.
Davis immediately closed the building to allow for further testing by Summit Laboratory and begin remediation planning.
The fix at HLS will take weeks to complete, according to the statement, so Holland Language Academy students will take classes in the currently vacant Longfellow school, 45 E. 25th St., for the 2019-2020 school year.
The investigation found the colonly developed during a heating-cooling failure at the Holland Language Academy, during several hot days in July — when the building was vacant.
“Fortunately, based on expert assessment of the situation, we’ve determined that the issue started in July and no students, faculty or staff members were in the building on a regular basis during that time,” said Holland Public Schools Superintendent Brian Davis.
Summit was hired to test air quality at HLA after a cleaning contractor reported potential air quality issues at the building on July 31.
Davis ordered environmental assessments at all district school buildings, including Longfellow, after the HLA discovery. Holland Heights Elementary and the Maplewood facility has some issues in storage areas and on some carpet squares related to poor circulation and hot, humid conditions over the summer.
Those buildings will have work before classes start, and will operate as planned for this school year. All other HPS buildings were found to be OK.
The district hired Van Dam & Krusinga for HLA’s remediation, which will will include physical removal of any mold spores or colonization, during which time the remediation team will use personal protective equipment.
“We’re working with one of the best remediation teams in the region because the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff are our top priorities,” said Davis. “We are taking extra precautions at HLA to fix the current problem and eliminate the risk of future contamination. This includes removal and replacement of all carpeting and other textiles throughout the building, whether or not they show signs of spore colonization.”
Van Dam & Krusinga will also handle the isolated remediation work at Holland Heights and Maplewood, which will be finished by Aug. 19, in time for the scheduled start of classes and programming in those facilities.
Finally, Van Dam & Krusinga will conduct a deep cleaning at the Longfellow building to prepare it for occupancy of the HLA program later this month.
“We are confident that our partners at Summit and Van Dam & Krusinga are providing expert, science-based information and remediation services and, together with our dedicated faculty and staff, will help ensure a smooth and safe start to the school year,” said Davis.
The superintendent and administrative team have notified or met with Holland Public Schools building administrators, faculty and staff from the affected schools, central office staff, teachers’ union representatives and OAISD Superintendent Peter Haines. Notifications are being sent out today to HLA and other district families, as well as districtwide faculty and staff.
