Monessen School District welcomes parents to open house before students return to in-person classes

MONESSEN, Pa. — The Monessen City School District held an open house for parents to assess the buildings before students return to in-person classes.

The open house follows nine weeks of remote learning after mold was found in the summer.

Monessen City School District Superintendent Robert Motte stated that administrators are certain the facility is safe for both staff and students, maintaining that their duty is to ensure a secure reopening.

Corwin Inspection and Hayes Microbial Consulting performed plumbing repairs and conducted air quality assessments at the school.

Moisture-meter measurements for the drywall ranged between 5% and 12%, levels that specialists deem appropriate for indoor humidity.

Despite the district’s assurances, several community members expressed skepticism regarding the information provided by school leaders and raised concerns about facility maintenance. Parent Felicia Faulks voiced frustration over the delayed repairs.

“I’m upset because we pay school taxes every year and why did they have to wait so long to get so bad? Someone should’ve taken care of it probably a few years ago,” Faulks said.

Parent Amy Reed emphasized that school officials need to provide clear evidence to tax-paying residents regarding the building’s safety.

“They need to get something done and let people know what’s really going on,” Reed said. “I mean, we are the tax people; they are serving us. They are serving our kids supposedly, so it needs to be out there.”

Natarsha Johnson, another parent in Monessen, expressed doubt that regular community members are receiving accurate updates from administrators.

“Are they just saying this or do they know it? I mean, you know,” Johnson said. “How are we gonna know? We ain’t gonna know nothing. They definitely ain’t telling us. We ain’t big people. They only letting the big people know what’s going on. We ain’t gonna know.”

Students in grades 7-12 are scheduled to return to physical classrooms on Monday, Nov. 16.

Channel 11 asked to walk through the building, but the school board president would not allow it.

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