Superintendent Tim Webster informed the St. James Board of Education on Oct. 8 about a floor issue at the high school that caused classrooms to be closed to students. The district is currently working with its insurance company to make repairs.

“So, the high school history floor issue, since the last time I’ve met with you guys, we’ve had multiple mold remediation teams in here as well as construction teams. Right now, insurance is working with a company called JS Held and JS Held is helping create a scope of work,” Webster told the board.

Three St. James High School classrooms had to be temporarily closed in August due to mold issues related to moisture. Students in those classrooms were relocated to other areas until repairs can be made.

A letter was sent out to parents advising that the district was taking the necessary steps to ensure student safety and the students were relocated as a safety precaution and to ensure students’ learning was not interrupted as remediation was conducted.

While the building was deemed structurally sound, the inspection revealed moisture-related conditions and areas of mold, which must be addressed before the classrooms are reopened.

“Once MUSIC (the district’s insurance company) has an opportunity to approve that scope of work, it will be turned over to the district and we’ll get started assessing when is the best time and what’s realistic in trying to get things fixed,” Webster said.

Students will continue their classes in the relocated areas without interruption to learning while the repairs are made. Once the plan is presented to the administration, additional actions can be planned to keep the disruption as minor as possible while repairs are made. Webster did not present the board with a timeline, but said steps are taking place and he would have additional information to present at the appropriate time.