Outrage Continues To Grow Over Discovery Of Mold At Monroe Township School
MONROE TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBS) -- Outrage is growing over the discovery of mold at a Monroe Township school and the shutdown of every single school in that district.
Frustrated parents are demanding answers, but they say they are not getting much information from school officials.
Those mold concerns lead to the closure of all six schools for the entire week in the Monroe Township School District.
"I'm completely appalled," said parent Amanda Sinclair-Merrill. "It looks like things I've been seeing, they've known about it since 2012."
Parents packed the Williamstown High School auditorium on Monday night.
Parents Could Face Fine, Jail Under NY Anti-Bullying Law
"You're putting the kids' health at risk," said one parent. "You don't have a damn bit of information to tell me these kids are safe."
With the health and safety of their children at stake, everyone stayed late into the evening, demanding answers about the mold plaguing Holly Glen Elementary School.
The school was shut down last week after the discovery inside drop down ceilings.
Under intense questioning by a parent, a building supervisor on Monday night revealed various strains of mold have been known about for some time.
"January of this year," said the supervisor during the meeting.
Just a dozen hours after that dramatic meeting, there wasn't a soul to be found at Holly Glen, or Williamstown Middle School -- no workers, nothing. Students claim mold has also been an issue at the middle school.
"In the locker rooms in the middle school," said ninth-grader Scotty Graham. "Near the showers, next to the lockers."
Eyewitness News spent the day tracking Monroe Township district officials. Not a single one as of deadline responded to requests for comment, including all nine members of the school board.
The whole Monroe Township district – 6,000 students across six schools – has been shut down this week for testing.
Watch The Emotional Moment This 11-Year-Old Girl Learns She Has Been Adopted
"We want to make sure everything is the way it should be so everybody feels comfortable," said Monroe Township Public Schools Superintendent Charles Earling.
The shutdown seems to be creating quite an uncomfortable situation for parents as they scramble to find child care.
"I'm really upset the kids are off school for a week," said Carol Iannaco. "You had all summer to test for everything and now they're out of school."
