Nassau, The Bahamas - The Ministry of Education, regards the safety and health of our administrators, teachers and students in the schools on Inagua as priority.

Following concerns that were expressed by parents regarding mold being in the school buildings, the Ministry invited Mrs. Melanie Roach, former Director of Public Works and Mr. Anthony Ryan, Senior Laboratory Analyst at the Department for Environmental health, to conduct an independent assessment of the school.

Mr. Ryan inspected the areas that were of concern to the parents which were:

-       Grade 6 classroom of the Primary School
-       Hall of the Primary School
-       Classrooms 1 through 4 of the Senior School.

No visible signs of mold in the indoor environment of the building.

Secondly, Mr. Ryan checked for the presence of toxible and combustible gas and found nothing.

He also checked the oxygen and air levels, as well as the relative humidity level according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards recommended and found nothing remarkable in the buildings.

Mr. Lambert knowles who is a structural engineer also inspected the buildings and deemed them safe for occupancy. The buildings are safe and have been cleared for use. He recommends that a tarp be put on the roof, and repairs will be completed as soon as possible.

Based on these reports, the Ministry wishes to announce that the school in Inagua will reopen for all students on Tuesday 23rd, September 2008. District Superintendent Lewis will be holding a meeting along with Mr. Ryan at the school at 7:00 p.m. this evening so that concerns for the community may be addressed.