The Department of Education says students and staff at Holualoa Elementary on Hawaii island will start the new school year with revamped classrooms and other facilities after renovation work over the summer break to address problems with mold.

Holualoa was founded in 1895 and is situated in a damp and humid climate zone on the west side of Hawaii island. According to a Tuesday news release from the Department of Education, the “renovations were designed to reduce interior environmental conditions conducive to mold growth.”

Parents and members of the Hawaii State Teachers Association had been pushing the DOE to act on problems with mold, rats and other pests at the school. Parents and teachers reported that several students and staff members had developed respiratory problems that doctors had linked to the mold.

A virtual news conference organized by the HSTA in February included a video of the school with images of dark mold spread across walls and ceilings, rat droppings on classroom materials, rubber slippers that had apparently been gnawed by rodents and dirty classroom carpets that school employees said they feared had more mold beneath as well as asbestos floors. During the news conference, Logan Okita, vice president of the Hawaii State Teachers Association, declared that “Holualoa is in a crisis.”

“It’s been a complete transformation,” Principal Kristin Muramoto said in the DOE’s news release. “We’ve seen everything from the wall colors change to new flooring, for a whole new atmosphere and environment that our students and our teachers are very fortunate to come back to in this coming school year.”

According to the DOE, renovations began in October, but the majority of the work was completed during the spring and summer breaks when rooms were not in use, which the DOE said was meant to “minimize impacts on student learning.” The effort overhauled 16 classrooms with new tile flooring, interior paint, dehumidifiers and other improvements.

“We’ve repainted the classrooms with mold-inhibiting paints and removed old floor carpeting to promote better air quality,” Randall Tanaka, assistant superintendent of the DOE’s Office of Facilities and Operations, said in the DOE’s news release. “Open windows and fans will help air circulation during the day and dehumidifiers will help to reduce moisture in the air overnight, which will create an environment well-suited for students to learn.”

According to the DOE, 10 other office and work spaces at the school were also renovated. Workers also power-washed covered walkways, and the DOE installed new furniture in several classrooms at an approximate cost of $1.27 million to date.

The DOE says it expects renovation work to be complete before students return for the new school year in August. The installation of new ceiling fans is expected to begin during the fall or winter break to further improve air circulation.

“Renovations are only the first step and we’re working closely with school leadership teams to encourage the use of fans, air purifiers and dehumidifiers in concert to sustain the extensive classroom renovations into the future,” said Janette Snelling, complex-area superintendent for the Honokaa-Kealakehe-Kohala-Konawaena Complex Area.

Holualoa Elementary served 455 students in the past school year in grades pre-K to 5.