LAFOURCHE PARISH, La. — Students at two Lafourche Parish Schools were unable to return to class after Thanksgiving Break due to mold.
Mold was found in Larose-Cut Off Middle School and Cut Off Elementary School, according to the district.
Father, Mathew Bascle, has students at both campuses.
“I definitely do not believe that anybody is willfully trying to put children in harm's way," Bascle said. "I do not believe that at all. Not with an ounce of my being, but I do believe that the trust was broken," he said.
Bascle is one of many parents who pushed for answers from administrators. He said his students won't return to class until he knows it's safe.
“My kids did experience some issues in the past, and can I 100 percent pinpoint it to mold? No, but looking at the symptoms of toxic black mold and what my kids were having, they line up," Bascle said.
Other students reported more serious symptoms.
Over Thanksgiving Break, Lafourche Parish Schools contracted a company to remediate the mold and clean the school buildings.
On Tuesday, students and staff were able to return to Cut Off Elementary.
“Construction crews have also been onsite continuing to address the conditions that contributed to the school’s moisture issue," Supt. Jarod Martin said about Cut Off Elementary. "A temporary wall has been erected to contain this site and isolate it from the rest of the campus," he said. "We are confident that our aggressive response has returned the campus to a safe and healthy learning environment, and the results of post-remediation testing reflect that.”
After WWL Louisiana reported on the mold two weeks ago, test results were posted on the district's website.
Ajikee Randolph has worked in mold remediation for roughly seven years. He was not involved with the school's mold removal process, and he said the results show various types of spores, including some that are 'toxic mold.'
“Get rid of that toxic mold because a lot of people can be allergic and really suffer from it," Randolph said.
Randolph said different types can affect people differently depending on their allergies and the amount found in a home or building.
Randolph also said that southern Louisiana has the perfect climate for mold to grow and that the first step is to identify the source of moisture.
The school district said the mold is likely caused by HVAC issues.
Bascle said he would like to see a second company brought in and continued testing, especially because Cut Off Elementary is known to flood due to the parish's drainage system.
“We need to come together, the school board, the parents, the people that live in that neighborhood and ask for some action to be taken so that way it doesn’t affect our school going forward," Bascle said, "Because if it does, and it floods again, all this mitigation was for nothing if we create the environment again for mold to start to grow.”
Larose-Cut Off Middle School will be back open on Wednesday, according to the Superintendent.
The mold mitigation and cleaning process has been completed, and air quality testing reports show that the campus is a safe and healthy learning environment. These results will be made available on the district's website," Martin said, "We look forward to welcoming our students and staff back to campus tomorrow."
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