AMHERST — Amherst’s new Chestnut Street Academy and the Amherst Regional Middle School will have a delayed opening for the semester due to ongoing work on the roof of the building and concerns about air quality inside it.
Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman announced in a message sent to families Wednesday that the first day of school for students at the 170 Chestnut St. site will be Aug. 31, five days after the original Aug. 26 first day of school.
The middle school is where seventh and eighth graders from Amherst, Pelham, Leverett and Shutesbury are educated, and where Amherst sixth graders will be studying starting this school year.
The Amherst and Pelham elementary schools and the high school will still open Aug. 26.
Herman wrote that “the safety and well-being of our students and staff must remain our first priority.”
The roof repairs were supposed to be completed over the summer, but Herman wrote that unexpected asbestos was discovered that had to be professionally abated. While that was happening, water leaked into classrooms during a rainstorm because the new roof membrane hadn’t been fully installed.
On top of that, exhaust fans have been inoperable, leading to possible mold and mildew with concerning odors.
New exhaust fans are supposed to be installed this week, air purifiers will be used to get the air quality back and indoor air quality testing will take place on Monday.
Even with that, there is uncertainty if the roof project over the school’s instructional areas will be complete.
To make up for the lost days and instructional time, the district is converting Oct. 13, Jan. 6 and March 12 to early-release days, rather than being no-school days.
Herman wrote that if there are additional complications with the start of the school year she would be in touch with families.
