Staff report
Otter Valley Union Middle and High School in Leicester is one of a few Vermont schools that has had to scramble ahead of the first day of school — rearranging classes, or in some cases have delaying the start of the school year begins due to mold.
Otter Valley Union Middle and High School is shutting down a middle school wing due to mold and moving students to a different part of the school.
The issues was larger then school administrators originally thought, according to Rene Sanchez, the interim superintendent of the Rutland Northeast Supervisory Union.
Milton Town Elementary School has had to delay the start of its school year to Sept. 3, also due to mold growth.
State senators on the Education Committee blame a culmination of aging infrastructure and the increase in rain for the problem.
“We are seeing a lot of flooding, a lot of rain, a lot of moisture and similar to our roads and other infrastructure, our schools are not ready, they’re not prepared for these kinds of changes,” Sen. Brian Campion, the chair of the Senate Education Committee, reported.
Moretown Elementary School is also delaying the start of its school year to Aug. 27 due to flooding issues, and North Country Union High School is being pushed back to Sept. 3 due to a high rate of PCBs.
The Vermont Agency of Education said in a statement, “Some schools have suffered water damage from recent weather events. Some schools have had historic issues from original construction flaws or deferred maintenance, while all of Vermont this summer has experienced sustained high levels of humidity, all of which could contribute to interior mold issues.”
