Elm Street Elementary closure extended

Elm Street Elementary School in Summerside, P.E.I., will remain closed indefinitely.

More than 200 parents and teachers heard the news at a meeting on Monday night at the Athena Consolidated school.

On Friday, officials announced the school would be closed for two weeks while air quality testing was done after mould was found inside the school.

At Monday's meeting, officials with the Western School Board of P.E.I. said mould was found around window frames in the building.

Officials said every window in the school would need to be replaced.

Elm Street's 500 students and staff will be divided up and sent to five schools in the city. Some children will go to other elementary schools, while others will go to intermediate schools and Three Oaks High School.

It is unclear when Elm Street Elementary will reopen.

Officials said they hoped to have all students placed in their temporary classrooms by Nov. 15.

P.E.I.'s deputy chief health officer recommended the school be closed after lab tests showed mould in several places in the school.

Dozens of staff and students have complained of allergy-type symptoms in recent weeks, which officials said could be linked to the mould.

The school, which was built in 1960, has 450 students from kindergarten to Grade 6.