LAKEWOOD RANCH — “No severe fungal spore types” were found in Lakewood Ranch High School, according to the findings of a final assessment report issued this week by the firm contracted by the district to conduct the study.
The study was conducted in response to growing concerns from campus faculty, students, and families who reported visible mold-like growth on various surfaces across numerous campus buildings and classrooms.
The study results were shared with Lakewood Ranch High School staff and families on Thursday, along with an email letter from Manatee County School District Superintendent Dr. Laurie Breslin.
Superintendent Breslin announced, “The good news is that no severe fungal spore types, such as Stachybotrys or Memnoniella, were found in any of the samples collected.”
Breslin cited the thoroughness of the evaluation, which included more than 120 air samples, a full evaluation of all buildings, and a temperature and humidity study.
“Overall,” wrote Breslin, “the air quality inside the buildings was better than outside. The only particles detected were common in Florida, like Cladosporium and Curvularia, and they appeared only in isolated areas.”
The school district will undertake a comprehensive “micro-cleaning” of the campus during winter break. According to Breslin, cleaning will follow national IICRC standards and include installing new air filters throughout the school. The entire project is estimated to cost the district $1.2 million to complete.
After completion, the district will conduct verification testing to ensure all work meets established health and safety standards.
To address underlying humidity issues, the district is moving forward with planned longer-term corrective actions, including the $6 million capital project to replace underground piping—approved by the School Board in September 2025—now in the design phase. Construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2026. In the interim, the district will monitor humidity levels using data loggers and conduct additional cleanings as necessary.
School staff and students who spoke at a school board meeting in late October told board members they believed that at least part of the campus’s humidity and mold issues were due to the district’s practice of lowering or shutting off the HVAC system outside school hours. The practice was intended to provide cost savings, but the district now plans to contract for an energy assessment.
The Superintendent’s letter included a PDF attachment containing surface sample and bioaerosol sample results for the campus’s Building 8, as provided by Gallagher Bassett Services, Inc.—the industrial hygienist contracted by the district to complete the study.
Additional reports from each campus building will be posted on the Manatee County School District website in January as they become available.
To review the assessment report by Gallagher Bassett Services, Inc., for Lakewood Ranch High School’s Building eight as a PDF, click here.
1 comment on this item
Only paid subscribers can comment
Please log in to comment by clicking here.
Dianna
This is Florida-how is the school district being a good steward of public property, taxpayer dollars and student/staff health, if they don't understand the consequences of turning the a/c off and on in our buildings? This did not save the taxpayers money -nor does it give taxpayers confidence in our school district. We were extremely lucky that staff and students spoke during public comment or it would have continued to be hidden from the public at large.
Saturday, December 20, 2025 Report this