RICHMOND, Va. -- Clean-up crews were back at Barack Obama Elementary School on Wednesday continuing to clean-up the presence of mold from inside the building.
It is an issue that prevented the school from starting the school year with the rest of Richmond Public Schools (RPS) and has left parents like Meredith Riley having to juggle work and childcare for her 2nd grade daughter.
"It's been chaos," said Riley. "You're asking another family, can we trade kids? Can we -- can a parent come down? You know, people like us -- not everyone has family in the area."
In his PM update to families, RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras said crews were on schedule to "complete deep cleaning and remediation of the entire top floor and half of the middle floor" by the end of Wednesday. He added air quality tests were taken in rooms remediated on Tuesday and those result are pending.
"We are continuing to use the AC system, dehumidifiers, negative ion scrubbers, and antibacterial fogging throughout the building. Relative humidity remains in a healthy range of 39%–56%," Kamras added. "A planned follow-up exterminator visit was completed late this morning as part of the standard practice to ensure the initial treatment was effective."
Meanwhile, he gave more details about the plans for students in the short-term until the school is deemed safe to reopen.
Starting Thursday, parents can choose to send their students to Pine Camp Arts & Community Center and they will be taken to and from by school buses (parents can also opt for extended stay until 5:00 PM but will have to pickup children themselves). Riley said she is taking that option as her daughter is a type-1 diabetic and a school nurse will be on hand at the camp.
"Having childcare like that is imperative because a lot of parents, actually all the parents in our community do not know how to treat it, so we need a nurse there. So we're thrilled about that," Riley said.
Wednesday, families could also apply for a limited number of seats at either Francis McClenney or Overby-Sheppard Elementaries. Seats will be awarded by a lottery Thursday at noon. Kids will start Monday and can stay there until Obama reopens or for the rest of the school year.
Riley said she is not doing that as she lives across the street from Obama, but another parent, Rotisha says she is considering it for her fifth and second-grader.
"I'm going to look into them both," said Rotisha. "And then decide and go from there."
But Wednesday, RPS officials revealed that two other schools may have mold issues, including one of the back-up options for Obama students.
McClenney officials sent a letter to families saying something was spotted on a wall in one classroom closet and they were not sure if it was just dirt or actually mold. They said the classroom was closed as a precaution and they are cleaning and testing the substance.
An RPS spokesperson told CBS 6 this would not impact the plans to accept Obama students.
A similar letter was sent to parents at Bellevue Elementary which said that a similar possible dirt/possible mold substance was found in several classroom closets and are taking the same steps.
The results for both are pending.
Back at Obama, Rotisha and Riley said RPS has been communicating better since the issues at their school first came to light, but still have unanswered questions like could this have been avoided and when the school will reopen.
Officials have said next week at the earliest, but have not given a concrete date yet.
"I'm just hoping that they really do resolve it completely," said Rotisha. "Taking our time to fix it and do it correctly is better off than rushing it."
Until then, both moms said they have similar attitudes as they move forward.
"I just hope they get it together," said Rotisha. "I just wish the best. Hope for the best."
"Hoping for the best and hoping that Pine Camp continues," added Riley.
Meanwhile, in Wednesday's RPS Direct, Kamras reminded the community about an upcoming series of "Facilities Modernization Meetings".
"We’ll share more information about the condition of our school buildings (and how they came to be in their current condition) and gather input about what RPS should prioritize in the next ten years," Kamras wrote.
There will be one meeting held in each school district.
The First District will have the first meeting and it is scheduled for September 1 at Thomas Jefferson High School.
Fundraiser for teachers
Some Obama Elementary parents have launched a fundraiser to help teachers replace classroom items that may have been discarded because of the mold issues.
