SALISBURY — Staff members will be allowed back into West Rowan Middle School on Thursday, Sept. 15, and students will return the following Monday, Sept. 19, as efforts to remove mold from the building are complete, according to a news release from Rowan-Salisbury Schools.

The board of education is scheduled to get an update on the cleaning efforts at a work session Monday at 4 p.m.

A contractor found evidence of elevated mold levels in the school’s HVAC system, so starting Aug. 23 all classes for the school were moved online while the school was cleaned.

Contractors are nearing the end of the cleaning and mitigation work needed to ensure that the building is ready for students and staff to return. This timeline allows for cleaning and sanitization to be completed, and for staff to put things back in order.

“The safety of our students is our top priority. We will continue to monitor the air quality in the building through regular environmental testing after students and staff return to the building,” according to the school system’s news release.