First day of Middletown Schools on September 13; Mold Removal Continues

MIDDLETOWN, NJ – The Middletown School District is still on track to have its first day of school Monday, September 13, as the district was able to increase the number of staff working in schools to speed up elimination mold, Superintendent Mary Ellen Walker said on Wednesday. in this letter to all parents.

Middletown Schools will operate on day one with a delayed opening for all Kindergarten to Grade 12 students.

The first day of school in Middletown was supposed to be Wednesday, September 8th. But the discovery of mold – dug up at the very end of summer – in several classrooms at Nut Swamp and Lincroft elementary schools last week pushed back the first day of school for the entire district, as Superintendent said. Walker said all school buildings should be checked for mold.

Meanwhile, Middletown parents watched in fury as other New Jersey college students don backpacks and smiles – masks in hand – and pose for back-to-school photos.

And the kids of Middletown are still stuck at home, as working parents scramble to find child care.

Walker said on Wednesday the first mold tests had been carried out at all elementary and middle schools in Middletown.

“As of this morning, Fairview Elementary School, River Plaza Elementary School, New Monmouth Elementary School, Lincroft Elementary School, Bayshore Middle School, Thorne Middle School and Thompson Middle School have received permission from the environmental consultant to reopen for students and staff, “she said Wednesday.

“Initial testing has been completed at Middletown High School North and we are awaiting the results. Initial testing at Middletown High School South continues today and is expected to be completed tomorrow.”

Nut Swamp Primary School was repaired earlier this week and new testing was completed on Wednesday. Remediation work at Navesink Elementary School has been completed and a new test will be carried out on Thursday.

Remediation is currently underway at Harmony, Leonardo and Ocean Avenue, she said.

Remediation at Bayview Elementary School is also underway and a new assessment is expected to take place on Saturday. Sanitation at Middletown Village Primary School is underway and will be carried out in two stages over the next few days.

“Based on that timeframe, we anticipate that all of our schools will open for Kindergarten to Grade 12 students on Monday, September 13, with the exception of Middletown Village,” Walker wrote.

“Last week we informed you of our plans to assess each school for mold and take the necessary steps to correct the moisture issues that are causing the mold,” she said. “Over the past week, a tremendous amount of work has been done in the district testing and fixing moisture issues and mold removal. This work continued in several schools this week. As the testing progressed, the scope of work increased. We were able to increase the staff working in our schools to speed up the remediation process.

Mold discovery delays Middletown school start date to September 13 (August 31)

Mold in 2 more Middletown schools: report (September 3)

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