Monarch School moves students after mold concerns surface at Barrio Logan campus

Monarch School, dedicated to educating children experiencing homelessness, left its Barrio Logan location after mold concerns were raised, sending students to Perkins K-8 and a county office building in National City. The San Diego County Office of Education, which runs the program, and the nonprofit Monarch School Project, which owns the property, will each carry out independent environmental assessments. Rebecca Sutton, the nonprofit’s grants manager, said air-quality testing will be guided by qualified experts.

Music Watson, chief of staff for the county office, affirmed that certified specialists will test the site before and after any remediation. The nonprofit’s president and CEO, Tamara Craver, suggested recent heat and humidity may have contributed to the issue. Earlier complaints included moisture problems and a prior detection of Aspergillus mold in an office, though officials could not confirm details from that time.