Despite efforts to address what they say are unsafe conditions at their school, teachers at the Pawtucketville Memorial Elementary School in Lowell continue to express “ongoing concerns about the health and safety” of the building.

Early Thursday afternoon, a group identifying itself as “The Teachers of Pawtucketville Memorial Elementary School” sent a letter to InsideLowell and other members of the local media.

In that letter, they outline their frustration over a history of mold issues in the school and that “surface level testing has been completed in only five rooms the week before the start of school.” The group is calling for “air quality and surface level testing in all rooms throughout our school prior to the first day of school.” (the full letter is published in its entirety below)

Kerry Marshall, a longtime teacher at the school, tells InsideLowell there’s a meeting scheduled tonight to discuss whether teachers will actually go into the school Friday for a planned day of set-up.

Marshall says all staff members and paraprofessionals have been invited to the session, and that efforts are also being made to invite school administrators. She adds the decision will only affect the voluntary set up day Friday, and that teachers plan to attend school Monday, the mandatory reporting day.

“I’m not saying the city and school department are doing nothing,” Marshall added. “I’m just trying to say it’s like we are just staying afloat. Things improve slightly, but we need them to be okay consistently.”

InsideLowell was able to confirm the union rep for the Pawtucketville school was aware of the letter and that the union is in full support of the teachers’ efforts.

Paul Georges, President of the United Teachers of Lowell, said he was unaware of the teachers’ letter before being contacted, but that he spoke about his ongoing frustrations about that particular building at last night’s School Committee meeting.

“This has been reoccurring there for decades,” Georges said. “I also informed the Superintendent and the School Committee during a bargaining session several weeks ago, as it had been conveyed to me by the custodian. Now school starts in a few days and teachers don’t have access to their rooms and uncertainty on whether the school will open on time, again.”

The topic has been discussed at multiple city council and school committee meetings, and was addressed again at last night’s SC meeting by Public Works Commissioner Paul St. Cyr and Public Schools Facilities Director Ricky Underwood. They report the city and school department contracted with a company to address mold and air quality concerns over the summer, and also have an independent, third party company inspecting the work.

Final results of that testing are pending, but they anticipate the Pawtucketville Memorial School and all city schools to be ready to open on time next week.