Poway District Approves $18.5M Mold Fix at Del Sur
Hundreds of Del Sur Elementary students will stay off campus for the rest of the school year while the district carries out an extensive remediation plan.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Asthma
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Poway Unified School District approved an extensive mold remediation plan for Del Sur Elementary School, and all six board members voted in favor. Hundreds of students will remain off campus for the rest of the school year.
Why it matters
The mold found at the school is Cladosporium, which is not commonly referred to as black mold, and the district said the plan is needed to guarantee the problem will not happen again. The decision affects students and families across Poway as the district works to restore the campus.
The district's investigation and testing results, presented in roughly 40 slides, support a remediation estimate of up to $18.5 million. The stub does not specify how the cost will be funded or whether the estimate may change.
The players
Poway Unified School District
The district oversees public schools in Poway and approved the remediation plan for Del Sur Elementary School.
Del Sur Elementary School
A Poway elementary school whose campus is undergoing mold remediation that will keep students off site through the school year.
The details
The remediation plan includes removing all existing flooring, fabric curtains, and other materials of concern across the campus, along with installing an entirely new HVAC system. The board reviewed four top options ranging from smaller repairs and reopening sooner to closing the school, and selected the most extensive plan.
Timeline
Rest of the current school year: hundreds of students remain off campus during renovations.
July 9, 2027: targeted completion date for remediation work.
August 2027: students expected to return for the new school year.
Health Landscape
Mold contamination in school buildings is a recurring concern for districts that must balance student health with the cost of full-scale remediation. The Poway decision reflects a choice to pursue complete material removal and HVAC replacement rather than smaller repairs.
Families with children who have asthma or other respiratory conditions should be aware that students will remain off campus through the school year. Parents can plan childcare and monitor the district's updates on the schedule for return in August 2027.
The takeaway
Districts facing mold contamination often weigh short-term repairs against complete remediation, and the cost and timeline can be significant. Families affected by school closures should track district announcements for updates on return dates.
What happens next
Students are expected to return in August 2027 for the start of the new school year once the work is complete.
Further reading
For related coverage of respiratory health concerns tied to indoor environments, see Asthma in the Poway health section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by ABC 10 News San Diego KGTV.
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