Nearly 600 South Baltimore students will be bused eight miles across the city to a temporary location after mold was discovered at their Locust Point school.

The mold, discovered behind walls, did not pose a threat to students and staff, according to school officials.

On Jan. 6, a pipe burst in a heating unit at Francis Scott Key Elementary/Middle School and water seeped into several classrooms.

When school officials went to the building to make repairs they opened a wall and found mold. They first moved some classes to other parts of the building, but after further investigation decided they had to close down the school and have students begin learning remotely.

The school system hired an environmental firm to take 68 samples of air quality in the building and found no elevated levels of airborne mold spores, according to a letter to parents.

Because the mold had not been disturbed, students and staff were not in any danger, the school system’s letter said.

But the environmental firm also said that the air might become contaminated in the process of removing drywall and repairing of the walls. School officials informed parents that beginning Tuesday, students will be bused to the former Thurgood Marshall Middle School building on Sinclair Lane just south of Frankford in East Baltimore.

Trish Floyd, the parent of three children who attend Francis Scott Key, said she would appreciate more information about what the testing revealed. She has read a 47-page report on the testing, but said she still has questions.

“I’m worried about the long-term effects that children can have from being exposed to mold, if those issues aren’t addressed quickly and clearly,” she said, adding that she hopes a health expert will be at meeting for parents on Thursday.

Parents have had to take days off from work and adjust to two weeks of virtual learning for their children. Students and their families will be able to visit Thurgood Marshall on Monday to tour the building before their children arrive at the school on Tuesday.

Thurgood Marshall Middle School was closed in 2009 and the building has been used to house students from other schools during renovations. Francis Scott Key students will share the building with Vanguard Collegiate Middle School students, who are currently using the building until the summer of 2027.

Thurgood Marshall had also been identified as a possible site for Baltimore City College students to attend during its renovationbefore the University of Baltimore agreed to house them at the beginning of this school year.

“We understand that this situation is disruptive and concerning — especially given past facilities challenges,“ the district’s chief operating officer, Lynette Washington, said in a letter to the school community.

“Your trust matters, and our responsibility is to protect students and staff while communicating openly and honestly.”

About the Education Hub

This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, community-funded journalism that provides parents with resources they need to make decisions about how their children learn. Read more.