Meridian school officials still trying to determine where classes will be held

MOUNDS, Ill. -- Meridian Elementary School students will return to school Aug. 13, but district officials still are trying to determine where classes will meet.

Officials from the Illinois Department of Labor confirmed last week the presence of a potentially dangerous strain of mold in the 33-year-old building, said Brent Boren, principal of Meridian Elementary School.

The building has been closed since May, when Boren discovered discolored paint chips, suspected mold and sent the chips to a lab to be tested.

District officials had a phone conference last week with the Illinois State Board of Education, which asked for cost estimates on both rehabilitating the building and replacing it, Boren said Tuesday.

At its regular meeting Tuesday, the Meridian School Board will determine who will get those estimates, Boren said.

The estimates -- and the state board's response -- will determine the next step, but at this point, Boren said it is unlikely students will be back in the building.

That leaves the district with two options: Bring in portable classrooms or hold classes in shifts at Meridian High School, with middle- and high-school students meeting for five hours in the morning and lower grades meeting for five hours in the afternoon, Boren said.

The state board would have to approve the second plan, he said.

Teachers return to school Aug. 12, with students resuming classes the next day, Boren said.

He said the district has not received any reports of illnesses stemming from the mold. Neither has the Southern Seven Health Department, which serves deep Southern Illinois, although administrator Nancy Holt said her department might not know if such illnesses occurred.

Doctors typically report only communicable diseases to the health department, Holt said.

Boren said most of the mold was contained inside walls, but it could become airborne as those walls deteriorate, creating a health hazard.

Such deterioration is likely because the building, which opened in 1980, was built without a vapor barrier, Boren said. That allowed condensation from the air-conditioning system to get into the drywall.

Roof problems and drainage issues led to more water damage, creating a breeding ground for mold, he said.

"This building was not built very well at all," Boren said.

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Pertinent address:

208 Valley Road, Mounds, Ill.