Freehold school closed for mold, could take months to reopen.

FREEHOLD, N.J. (PIX11) -- The new school year will look very different for some students in Freehold, New Jersey, who are being assigned temporary schools because of a mold discovery inside Laura Donovan Elementary.

According to Freehold Superintendent Neal Dickstein, mold was discovered in several classrooms during routine summer cleaning in mid-July. The district said initial remediation attempts were unsuccessful, as the mold grew back and humidity levels remained high in the building. As a result, the building is not usable for the start of the first day of class on Thursday.

Students have been reassigned to four other Freehold elementary schools, based on grade level. Students will have their same teachers, and each class will be assigned a private classroom.

Some parents will now have students in two different schools and their children will have to take the bus for the first time.

“I know the school’s doing the best they can to make it as normal as possible for our kids,” said Wendy Geiger, a mother. “But it is a little anxious, the kids going to different schools, using a bus system they haven’t used before. The first day is going to be interesting.”

Lisa Tremarco, a mother, said she will be figuring out her daughters’ schedules on the fly. “My daughter that’s going 15 minutes away, I don’t know what time she’s going to get home,” said Tremarco. “We’re just going to play it by ear the first week, see how it works out.”

Through an interpreter, Regina Lopez, a mother, said the notification was quite a surprise. Her daughter was set to start fifth grade as a new student at Laura Donovan. “It’s incredible to believe that they didn’t know [about] this before,” said Lopez.

In a statement to PIX11 News, Superintendent Dickstein wrote, in part: “We anticipate that these alternate arrangements may last several months, and we are committed to communicating regular updates with parents and staff as information becomes available. We are working diligently to remediate the mold and are especially grateful to the Donovan families who are showing patience, flexibility, and understanding during this time.”