Students, parents hold protest over moldy conditions at Chatsworth Park Elementary school

CHATSWORTH, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Students and parents on Wednesday spoke out a protest held outside Chatsworth Park Elementary school, where moldy conditions were discovered in classrooms.

The demonstrators decried what they described as the Los Angeles Unified School District's slow response to the unsafe conditions.

According to parents at the rally, the students were forced out of their aging classrooms by the moldy conditions nearly three weeks ago, adding that mold has been an issue at the school for months.

Multiple classrooms have recently been crammed into an auditorium that does not have enough seating, forcing some children to sit on the floor all day, the parents said.

"My family's been thinking: Since my brother's going to be in that building with the mold next year, that we may move schools because of this mold problem," student Peyton Witcher said at the rally.

"There's no point in sending our kids to school when they're not able to learn under these conditions," parent Marla Thornhill told ABC7, "and it's not safe."

An LAUSD spokesperson provided a statement to ABC7 about the matter.

"Last week, staff reported an odor in two classrooms in Building B, prompting the District's Office of Environmental Health and Safety (OEHS) to close those two rooms while the conditions are evaluated," the LAUSD statement said. "Out of an abundance of caution, no students or staff are currently occupying the rest of the building while an investigation and remediation are undertaken by OEHS.

"Environmental testing-including air sampling to evaluate conditions related to creosote odors and potential mold has been completed, with preliminary results expected by March 13. As discussed with the school community, and to ensure accurate results, air purifiers will be turned off until testing is complete. Additionally, we are currently evaluating the feasibility of the school community's request regarding vendor selection and will provide more information once it is available.

"Once we have test results, we will hold a town hall to discuss findings and next steps. In the meantime, the District is actively evaluating all contingency options-including the possible addition of temporary classrooms or temporarily relocating students to a nearby campus," the statement said. "We are committed to the health and safety of our students and staff and will continue to provide updates as they become available."