'So far, so good:' Two rival schools share building due to mold problem

HOUSTON – Fort Bend Independent School District officials say so far, so good.

Students from both Willowridge and Thurgood Marshall High Schools have started their first day of school at Marshall.

The schools have merged so Willowridge can be cleaned for mold.

Meanwhile parents and students have mixed feelings about the merger, but many still have a lot of questions.

"To be honest, why do you put two hood schools together, why don't you just bus these kids out to other schools and give them a chance at a better education," a parent named Sabrina said.

"I think it's great for the kids who are understanding and meet new people," parent Ceclia Garcia said.

All the excitement and all the nerves for your child's first day of high school, but add an extra layer of uncertainty for students from Thurgood Marshall and Willowridge.

About 2,400 students will share Thurgood Marshall High School -- some of them sharing classrooms with teachers from both schools.

This all will happen until the district can clean out mold from Willowridge's band room and the rest of the building.

 The mold was discovered back in June and now, the district has to put up about $7.6 million to clean it up.

Officials said the cost covers the replacement of floor, ceiling tiles and furniture.

But for some, the end of this merger can't come soon enough.

"I heard that at the end of September, if they don't go back, I'm going to transfer her out," Sabrina said.

Fort Bend ISD wants to assure parents that they are working hard for a smooth transition.

In a statement sent to Channel 2, officials said, "We want the rigor of the classroom to be the same whether they were at Willowridge or temporarily housed at Marshall.

We want to make sure this is seamless. Student instruction is a top priority."

School officials said there are dozens of people working around the clock to finish cleaning up Willowridge.

That should be done around Sept. 15.

Students may go back to Willowridge sometime in October.

Download the Click2Houston news app in your app store to stay up-to-date with the latest news while you're on the go.

Sign up for KPRC 2 newsletters to get breaking news, sports, entertainment, contests and more delivered straight to your email inbox.


About the Author

Award-winning journalist, proud immigrant, happy wife, beaming mom. Addicted to coffee. Love to laugh.

Recommended Videos