School Start Delayed Until Tuesday at Saline Middle School

The start of school has been delayed until Tuesday, Aug. 26, at Saline Middle School due to concerns about mold.

Here's the notification we received from the school district:

In her message to families today, Superintendent Dr. Rachel Kowalski stated:

At Saline Area Schools, the health, safety, and well-being of our students and staff is our highest priority.

While welcoming teachers back to our buildings earlier this week, we were made aware of several classrooms that were impacted by high humidity levels, which likely began while the building was largely unoccupied and under construction this summer. We have installed industrial dehumidifiers and air scrubbers in many rooms while making repairs and adjustments to our HVAC systems.

Out of an abundance of caution, we also began working immediately with professionals who provided guidance on mold testing and remediation. A very limited number of spaces tested positive for a type of mold that needs to be remediated. To allow professional teams to perform the work as quickly as possible, we have closed the Middle School until further notice.

Because of this work, the start of the school year at Saline Middle School has been rescheduled. The first day of school is now anticipated to be Tuesday, August 26. Please note that this date may still be adjusted if further testing requires additional action, and we will communicate an update to families on Monday based on additional testing results. Please note that the work at Saline Middle School does NOT impact other buildings in the district, which will begin the year as scheduled on Monday, August 25.

Our contractors are working with several school districts in the area experiencing similar challenges, which we expect were exacerbated by the high humidity this summer. The high demand on contractors supporting many schools dealing with similar challenges and timelines has impacted our timeline and could create additional delays.

We are committed to providing updates to families and staff as testing and remediation continue, and appreciate your patience and understanding as we take these steps to provide a safe learning environment.

More News from Saline

• What to do in Saline: Farmers Market, Dance Team Car Wash, VFW Pig Roast and More! Check out these 5 events coming up this weekend on our calendar.
• VFW Pig Roast Saturday at the Saline American Legion The annual late summer event returns Saturday.