A Note from Supt. Kamras Regarding Obama's Building Condition

Dear Obama Families, 

I want to share an important update about the Obama building. Following a recent HVAC outage, we found mold growth in the basement and on some furniture, which impacted the school's air quality. 

In response, we have partnered with professional contractors to clean the building (including the HVAC ductwork), change air filters, and remediate the mold. We anticipate that all cleaning and remediation will be completed by tomorrow (Thursday) morning. We will then have an independent vendor conduct an air quality test. 

If Thursday’s test comes back negative (no elevated levels of mold spores), we will open the building and welcome teachers back to set up their classrooms so that school can start on time on Monday, August 24.

If, however, the test comes back positive (elevated levels of mold spores), we will need to conduct additional cleaning and remediation and will likely not be able to access the building until Saturday. As a result, teachers would not be able to set up their rooms until Monday, and we would need to push Obama's first day of school to Tuesday, August 25. 

As soon as we have the results of the air quality test, we will update all of you via ParentSquare. We will also publish the test results on the Obama website. 

We also received reports of rodents in a few rooms. In response, we will have an exterminator treat the relevant areas of the building.

Please note that Obama will still be holding its back-to-school open house tomorrow (Thursday) at 1 pm — it will just be outside. We will have tents in the event of inclement weather. Because we will not be able to access the building, please do not bring school supplies or medicines for your students. 

I sincerely apologize for the stress, anxiety, and inconvenience this news may bring to your family. Please know that your students’ health and safety — as well as that of our staff — remains my number one priority, and we will not re-enter the building until we are certain that it is safe to do so.

Thank you for your grace and understanding as we work to resolve these issues as expeditiously as possible. We look forward to a wonderful year of learning and growth ahead. 

With great appreciation,

Jason