~ School resumes on Monday ~
PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (ECYS) Ardwell Irion has addressed the concerns of the teachers and staff of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School.
Irion said in a press release on Sunday that he had met with the school’s teachers on Thursday after they organised a protest due to their concerns about possible mould in the classrooms. Irion and his cabinet listened to the teachers’ concerns and began addressing the issues.
According to the release, Irion brought dehumidifiers to the school on Friday and had [the school – Ed.] assessed. “Apparently, the primary issue was caused by sewage effluence,” Irion said.
He said he had the sewage pits pumped, the buildings sprayed to kill harmful bacteria and the lights fully restored in the classrooms. The air-conditioning company returned on Friday to donate its services and to service the rest of the air-conditioners at the school, “seeing as they hadn’t been maintained since before [Hurricane] Irma.”
All classrooms, the principal’s office and staff rooms were cleaned with non-toxic mould solutions to ensure that mould was no longer a concern.
Irion advised all parents that school would continue as usual. “Not all of the classrooms were affected, and the remainder of the students will take classes at the Dutch Quarter Community Centre located on the same property,” he said.
Irion said he had met with the contractor for updates on the process of rebuilding and the projected timeline for the roof repair, and works should commence the first week of February.
