WASHINGTON — The Prince George’s County Public Schools said Friday that the air at District Heights Elementary School has been given a clean bill of health.
Students and workers have been complaining of respiratory problems at the school since late last month, saying that mold is present in the building and the HVAC system. The school system has been installing new HVAC units, repairing exhaust fans and cleaning air ducts.
Initial tests found slightly elevated mold spore counts in one classroom; students were moved out of it as a precaution, the school system said.
PGCPS said it acted on two recommendations by the testing company: Improvements were made to a bathroom in one classroom, and the air conditioning was adjusted in another.
On Friday, the system released a statement saying that after tests were conducted April 5-11, the testing company found that carbon monoxide and dust levels were below safety thresholds, and that mold spore results “do not indicate the presence of an indoor source of fungal contamination that would adversely affect indoor air quality.”
A couple of weeks ago, the county teachers’ union said that concern over the air quality had cut attendance at the school in half.
The school system said that air-quality tests will continue at the school for the rest of the school year.
WTOP’s Michelle Basch contributed to this report.
