Mold remediated in John Jay High basement

LEWISBORO – The Katonah-Lewisboro school district has completed a mold remediation at John Jay High School after officials investigated an anonymous complaint filed with the state Department of Labor and discovered it in the basement of the building.

Remediation of "one non-student area of the high school" was recommended, and was completed prior to the start of school Wednesday, said Karina Stabile, district spokeswoman.

"The remediation actions were to keep monitoring the moisture levels and maintain present levels, which has been done and is ongoing. Additionally, the district made the decision to replace two ventilation fan motors in this area, which has also been completed," Stabile said.

The district examined five buildings after it was notified in August by the Labor Department about an anonymous complaint about the possibility of mold in the schools.

The district teachers union had raised concerns several weeks ago, and the administration concluded after "visually re-examining the areas in question" that there was no evidence supporting the concerns.

"Because no evidence had been discovered, no subsequent action was taken," a statement from the district said.

On Aug. 22, the district received a "special notification" from the Labor Department reporting the anonymous complaint, and hired an environmental engineering firm to perform air-quality tests.

The district has not revealed the firm it hired to do the testing or the costs involved. The Journal News has filed a Freedom of Information Law request for the information.

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