Our View
Closing the school was the only choice

With just over two months under her belt as superintendent of schools in Holmdel, Maureen Flaherty was faced with a tough decision this week.

A mold problem in Indian Hill Elementary School forced her to recommend keeping the school closed until next week. As a result, the Holmdel school district’s third- through sixth-graders will not start the school year along with the rest of district students.

Indian Hill has a history of mold problems and the latest is unsettling. According to Mike McGuiness, a consultant hired by the district, the source of the mold is most likely the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system. The mold became such a problem that it was visible in the fifth-and sixth-grade wing of the school.

Because the system is not new and the mold was visible, it stands to reason that this problem has been building up for some time. Just how long this problem has been developing is unknown. The district still isn’t completely sure that it is the ventilation system that is the cause.

As a result, the school is closed until next week and the district’s third- through sixth-grade students are losing time in school.

While making up a few days may not seem to be a big problem, it can be. The school district can’t add teaching days to its schedule without first consulting with the township education association.

The teachers’ union must agree to the days added on to the school calendar.

Also, the district must deal with parents who have already planned and paid for family vacations for the next year around the previously board-approved school calendar.

Child-care issues have also been raised due to the school’s closure.

It’s great that the district is attempting to assist working parents who expected their children to be at school for the full day, starting yesterday, by expanding its after-school "Prime Time" program at Village School. But how can the district justify having Indian Hill students in the "Prime Time" program sit in a school without being taught.

And what about those students who are not enrolled in the after-school and are typically cared for after school by older siblings until their parents get home from work.

Closing the school was a necessity, but for the past few years parents have been complaining about mold in at least one of the classrooms in the school. It’s unfortunate that the district did not discover the problem a bit sooner than Aug. 11.

Despite all of the drawbacks, Flaherty did the right thing by putting the health of the school’s students and staff first. Closing the school was the only choice.

She and the board were also right to hold a special meeting with district parents Tuesday night.

The meeting gave parents the opportunity to have some questions answered by the administration and its consultant.