DARLINGTON — It’s safety first for the Darlington School District, which is getting ready for the first day of school. At the end of June, evidence of mold was discovered in 40 rooms — most of them classrooms — of the Darlington Elementary Middle School (DEMS). The mold growth was found just behind the baseboards on the exterior walls of the DEMS building — a surprise no one wanted. 

“We contacted EMC, a reputable third-party environmental consultant right away,” Darlington Superintendent Cale Jackson said. “A letter went out to families and staff and work started immediately in the DEMS building.” 

The quick actions of the Darlington School District aided in getting immediate assistance for the mold removal in order to keep the reconstruction project on time before the impending start of the school year. The discovery of the mold was made while the Darlington School District was already in the process of replacing the old flooring for a more durable and easier-to-maintain solution. 

Darlington School Board President Bob Hermanson additionally pointed out the epoxy flooring that was scheduled to replace the former tile floor. 

“The old floor needed to be replaced with the constant maintenance that occurred each year. This new floor is easier to care for, looks nice, and is more durable,” Hermanson said. 

It was because of the preparations taken to replace the floor that crews discovered the mold behind the crown molding on the wallpaper.

With the addition of mold removal on its hands, the Darlington School District took out all of the vinyl wall paper, as that seemed to be a contributing culprit for the mold growth. Conditions such as changes in weather and condensation all seemed to be contributing factors as well. Drywall and insulation were replaced as a safeguard, in addition to other precautions to seal the wall to prevent the mold from returning. Professional crews worked with negative air pressure, sealing off rooms, to eliminate the chances of the mold spreading. They replaced the drywall with more insulation, adding an additional layer of coverage, while creating a thicker wall for the classroom as a result.

“The insulation was replaced with double the thickness,” Jackson said, standing in a classroom with Hermanson. “We replaced 3.5 inches of insulation with spray insulation of 5 inches.” 

In addition, all safeguards were in place to prevent future molding, including the removal of all vinyl wallpaper, even those walls without the evidence of mold. 

“There will not be any more wallpaper in the DEMS building, as we now know that to be the main culprit. I wasn’t asked to wear a hazmat suit during any of the walk-throughs,” Jackson said. 

The experience educated the superintendent so he could better keep families up to date with the events as they were happening. Now getting ready for the open house and the start of school, families can breathe easier knowing the school district has done all that they can do at this time to get the situation taken care of. 

“The specialists did a great job in the way that they handled things,” Jackson said. “They performed an air test in each of the rooms. To do so, they closed off the room during the clean up, then captured air samples by trapping air in the sample containers. I’m happy to report that all air levels have returned to the air quality level, once everything was removed from the DEMS building.”

The cost of the project is $300,000, which is being drawn from the Darlington School District fund. Additional money will not be collected from tax payers.

“There are a few touch-ups,” Jackson said. “The maintenance crew did an exceptional job at taking care of everything in a timely fashion. The touch-ups are all that’s left to get done. Most of those areas will be taken care of before school starts.”

The school district is not only looking forward to start school, it is getting ready to showcase its new storm shelter, funded 80% by FEMA. The new weight room and gymnasium are scheduled for completion with a public viewing in the fall. The storm shelter will bring safety to families and individuals who don’t have a safe location to take cover in case of an emergency.