Mold was found in three rooms in three buildings in the South Butler School District last week.

Intertek PSI of Pittsburgh, which the school board hired to conduct an evaluation after mold was found in throw rugs and a classroom, tested 48 locations and found elevated mold levels in the air in three rooms.

Room 141 in the middle school, room 115 in the intermediate elementary school and the rarely used large group instruction room in the high school had readings ranging from 1,000 to 2,100 spores per cubic meter of penicillin/aspergillus mold, not the hazardous black mold.

Readings from the other rooms were in the acceptable range of 100 to 300.

Detailed reports from Intertek have been posted on the district website.

“We stopped and went over those numbers. The elevated numbers gave us pause,” Superintendent David Foley said.

The three rooms were sanitized and dehumidifiers were to be left running all weekend, Foley said.

Intertek will return Monday to conduct another evaluation that will be used to determine when the classrooms can reopen, he said.

Teachers in the two classrooms will move their classes to other rooms, he said. The large group instruction room isn’t used regularly, Foley said.

Intertek officials will attend the school board meeting Wednesday to discuss the findings in detail, he said.

The district may consider eliminating carpeting in all classrooms in an effort to avoid mold problems.

In addition, staff will check classrooms earlier in the summer before classes start to make sure all the buildings are ready for the first day of classes.

The district replaced a cooling tower this summer, which meant the air conditioning system sat idle for about six weeks during an extra-humid summer, Foley said.

He said 11 dehumidifiers have been placed in the areas thought to have the highest moisture content.