Mold Problem Closes School on First Day

A school in Pleasanton, California, was closed on Tuesday after mold was detected in several classrooms. Tuesday would have been the first day of school for students at Hearst Elementary School.

For the school’s 700 students, summer will last a little bit longer after test results came back Monday showing that 12 classrooms tested positive for high levels of mold.

“We identified what we believe the source was and started checking other classrooms in the school, and made the decision to close down the C Building, which was eight classrooms. We were able to accommodate eight classrooms, but as we did additional investigation and testing there were more classrooms that are of concern to us,” said district spokesperson Myla Grasso.

Speakers on the outer walls of a school building are believed to be the source of the problem. The school is only around 8-years-old, and the speakers were installed in 2001. District officials say the speakers were not properly sealed and have allowed moisture to get into the building.