Responding to concerns from families about the reopening of Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies this week after the building suffered water damage from the Skokie water main break last weekend, District 65 Superintendent Angel Turner sent a follow-up email on Thursday night reiterating that “we would have never opened the building if it was unsafe in any way, shape or form.”
Turner provided an FAQ explaining the restoration work and air quality testing completed by contractors over the last several days, and she also linked to a full report submitted by True North Consultants with the results of the air quality tests they conducted.
According to that report, District 65 hired True North to evaluate “moisture impacted areas,” including the first floor main hallway, the library, classroom 101, classroom 109, classroom 200, classroom 201 and classroom 210. Initial tests found “elevated” mold levels in classrooms 101 and 201, which remained closed even when the building reopened for school on Wednesday, along with room 109 and the library, which still needed cleaning.
At this point, 201 and 109 have reopened following additional clean-up and air quality tests, Turner said. The library and 101 remain closed.
On top of air tests, True North also checked for asbestos and found none.
Explaining why the school could reopen to students and staff even when some areas still had elevated mold levels and were being further cleaned, Turner stressed that Bessie Rhodes does not have a centralized HVAC system, so each space is “self-contained.”
“This air remains contained within the spaces and does not circulate throughout the building,” she said in Thursday’s email. “As a result, the air quality testing consultants advised that students and staff returning to these spaces does not pose a safety concern.”
The flooding resulted from fresh water, not sewage, traveling through the water main pipe that ultimately broke on the morning of Feb. 14. Turner said the school distributed bottled water on Wednesday so students would not need to congregate around water fountains in the impacted areas, but the water is safe to drink at this point. Skokie lifted its boil order on Sunday night.
A “slight smell” might remain in some parts of the school, Turner said, because of “mitigation efforts such as the shampooing and professional cleaning of carpets and area rugs.”
If you have specific concerns about your child’s health, you can contact District 65 Health Clerk Krystalle Williams at williamsk@district65.net.
District 65 says Bessie Rhodes is safe as water cleanup continues is from Evanston RoundTable, Evanston's most trusted source for unbiased, in-depth journalism.