Coral Harbour (Nov 29/06) - It took major renovations, protests by parents and the relocation of students, but the school in Coral Harbour is almost at 100 per cent.

Sakku school officials discovered a nasty surprise in early August, when scheduled renovations began.

"When they started taking off the siding, the workers found mould, wet insulation and rot in the old school," said Dino Bruce, the chair of the district education authority.

There are two sections to the Sakku school, an older part and a newer addition. The older part was mould riddled.

A change was made to the renovation contract, and the mould was addressed during the renovations.

The school was set to open, but parents in the community were concerned, reporting allergic reactions in their young children. Their concerns were addressed with an ambitious plan.

"We closed off the old section, and we took the students out to places in the community," said Bruce.

Younger students were farmed out, older students remained in the newer section. Three classes took up residence in the community hall, one class joined students at the pre-school, and an empty office was used as another classroom.

The biggest strain was on busing, students needed to go to the school to use the gymnasium, shuttling students around the community.

"All the kids were brought back on Sept. 25, once the mould was removed," said Bruce.

Only one item remains to make the school complete, a new ventilation system is still being installed.

"The ventilation system is being worked on, and it should be done by Dec. 15," said Bruce.