Bellevue Elementary reopens in Richmond after mold closure; 2 rooms still sealed

RICHMOND, Va. — Students and teachers are back inside Bellevue Elementary after the more than 100-year-old Richmond Public School building was temporarily closed because of mold concerns.

RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras ordered the school closed after mold was discovered in the building’s attic and in closets in multiple classrooms.

Students had been attending classes at Lucks Field Community Center since Sept. 1 while crews worked on cleaning, remediation and air-quality testing.

Kamras spoke to reporters after RPS leaders and staff greeted students with a boisterous welcome and high fives Thursday morning. He said he was grateful to students, teachers, families and the city for helping make the temporary arrangement work.

“Just so excited to have the students and teachers back,” Kamras said.

While students have returned, work inside Bellevue is not finished.

Watch: Bellevue Elementary parents adjust

Kamras said in his Thursday morning update that Room 201 received clearance to reopen following air-quality testing. Rooms 304 and 305 still require additional remediation and will remain sealed and unused until they pass air-quality testing.

The district said remediation in those rooms will only take place outside of school hours.

RPS is also monitoring temperature and humidity levels throughout the building. The district said humidity readings Thursday morning were between 44% and 46% and that keeping humidity below 60% helps inhibit mold growth.

Air quality will be tested monthly, according to RPS.

Kamras said the district will continue looking for sources of moisture and addressing problems throughout the building.

But he acknowledged Bellevue's age presents a long-term challenge.

“The reality is this building is over 100 years old,” Kamras said. “It’s going to take ultimately a complete renovation of the building.”

Kamras said the district needs greater investment to bring older school buildings up to modern standards.

His comments come after CBS 6 first reported that internal auditor recently described RPS' facilities department as operating largely reactively.

Kamras said the district can improve its preventive maintenance efforts, but added that funding remains a challenge.

Watch: Richmond has 'zero' preventative school maintenance

"Two things are true. One, we can do a better job. Absolutely, I've said that, and I own that. And two, it is hard to do all the preventive maintenance that we would like to do. There simply aren't enough dollars to go around to do all those things. So again, both of those things can be true. We need to do a better job, and we need greater investment to ensure that our buildings are up to the level that we want them to be for our kids and our teachers," he said.

Kamras said RPS plans to present an after-action report and new protocols to the school board at its October meeting. The protocols are expected to address how the district handles building inspections and similar issues going forward.

The superintendent also acknowledged that moisture-related concerns can occur at other RPS schools.

He said dehumidifiers will remain in use at Obama Elementary, where the district has also been addressing moisture concerns.

“Every day we hear about issues that pop up, and we’ll address them as they come up,” Kamras said.

Kamras said older buildings throughout the school system require ongoing attention.

He also noted that mold can be present in the air naturally, but elevated levels can indicate a moisture problem that needs to be addressed.

Kamras said the district is paying particular attention to students and staff who are immunocompromised or have respiratory issues.

During the first day of “Educare” at Lucks Field, parent Danny Klau believed issues will be made public at other schools.

“It was kind of like a ripple effect, right? We found out about what was going on at Barack Obama, and then everybody's ears perked up, and of course they're going to find it if they're actually looking for it,” Klau said.

Kamras also highlighted recent academic gains in RPS, saying the division's SOL scores increased for a third consecutive year in every subject.

He said multilingual learners also outperformed their peers across Virginia.

Kamras, who was hired in 2018, called those results a testament to the work of RPS teachers and said he believes the district's academic progress is continuing.

“Change takes time,” Kamras said. “We didn’t get where we are in a day, and it’s not going to all change in a day.”

This is a developing story, so check back with WTVR.com for updates. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have info, photos or videos to share.