Lake Forest High School students returned to a classroom before mold test results were finalized, according to both the advocacy group Parents Care and the district's own account.

Parents Care published an investigation based on records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The group says District 115 has not publicly explained who authorized the early return or fully accounted for cleanup costs.

The district, in a FAQ posted to its website, confirmed that a classroom "received a deep cleaning and visual assessment" and "was returned to use while environmental testing results were still pending." When finalized results showed elevated mold spore levels, the district said it closed that classroom and all adjacent rooms throughout the hallway.

The issue began Sept. 9, when a parent spotted apparent mold on ceiling panels during the school's open house. According to a parent account shared with Parents Care, students were temporarily moved but returned to the room two school days later without confirmation of what remediation had occurred.

An internal Sept. 12 email from facilities director Dan Mortensen, obtained through FOIA, captured the choice facing staff. "So you can wait for results or go back in Monday. Your call," Mortensen wrote, according to Parents Care's report. The following Monday was Sept. 14.

Parents Care Executive Director Frank McCormick emailed Board Vice President Anne Geraghty Helms on Sept. 15, copying Superintendent Matthew Montgomery and Mortensen. The next day, Principal Erin Lenart told families that preliminary testing had found elevated mold spores in the second-floor west wing corridor and that affected spaces were closing for mitigation.

What the consultant found

A consultant's report, cited in Parents Care's investigation, found that ventilators in rooms 204 and 206 had defaulted to pulling 100 percent outside air, bringing humid air inside. Pipes above classroom ceilings lacked insulation, and corridor valves installed during construction had not been reinsulated. Condensation from those uninsulated valves damaged ceiling panels.

Lab testing recorded 100,000 Penicillium/Aspergillus-type spores and 30,000 Cladosporium spores per cubic meter in a second-floor hallway. Parents Care noted that the spore category groups similar-looking spores and does not identify exact species. Follow-up tests after cleanup supported reopening the cleaned areas.

The district attributed the moisture problems to heat, humidity and an aging HVAC system. Lenart said many affected spaces were already scheduled for Phase 2 of the school's ongoing renovation, part of a $105.7 million bond voters approved in April 2023.

Costs and unanswered questions

FOIA records cited by Parents Care include a $24,150 consulting invoice and a form listing $22,650.10 for cleanup work. Parents Care noted the records do not establish what taxpayers actually paid, whether the amounts overlap, or the full cost. The district's FAQ does not address the invoices.

Parents Care is calling on Montgomery and the District 115 Board to answer four questions publicly: who authorized the early return and why test results were not required first; which construction project included the affected valves; who was responsible for the ventilation settings and insulation failures; and what has been billed, paid and pursued through contractor warranties or insurance.

The district said in its FAQ that the experience "informed a more conservative approach moving forward." Staff have received additional training to identify moisture and mold, and the district said it will await final testing results before returning any space to use in the future.

Eleven classrooms reopened Sept. 23 after independent environmental professionals cleared them, according to the Forest Scout, the student newspaper. One counseling-suite office remained closed pending further testing at that time.

The district’s published FAQ addresses the early return and subsequent safeguards but does not provide a detailed accounting of the costs or identify who authorized reopening the classroom.