Willyama High School to be torn down after mould infestation, teachers consider strike action

An outback school will be demolished due to toxic mould after experts found the biohazard is all but unfixable. See the photos.

Willyama High School will be demolished due to toxic mould. Picture: Supplied

A toxic mould-infested Broken Hill high school has been condemned by hygienists and will be torn down, putting the outback town’s teachers on the brink of a strike amid calls to be kept separate from the area’s only other public high school.

Willyama High School’s 600-plus staff and students were locked out of their northern Broken Hill campus in January after poor ventilation combined with hot and humid conditions caused mould to spread throughout its buildings over the summer school holidays.

The Department of Education brought in independent hygienists to assess the biological hazard, and a report handed down to staff on Tuesday morning confirmed teachers’ worst fears – the mould won’t be remediated and the school will be demolished.

Experts found several different mould species including two dangerous “human pathogens”, and said attempting to clean it up without fixing other issues – including “structural faults”, “overcrowding and inadequate storage facilities” may have resulted in later reinfestation.

The final report also included dozens of photos of the mould, growing across upholstered chairs and carpets, wooden furniture, musical instruments, walls, tabletops and flooring.

The mould infestation at Willyama High School has overtaken chairs and furniture.

Musical instruments including a drum kit and sticks were also affected.

Willyama students have spent the last six weeks scattered across three other school sites. Junior students in years 7 to 10 have been split between two primary schools, and will join senior students in a pop-up demountable school crammed onto Broken Hill High School’s grounds in Term 2.

Teachers at Willyama fear the school will not only lose its sense of identity by being amalgamated, but staff and students will suffer “psychosocial hazards”, including a possible outbreak of schoolyard violence between kids previously kept separated on their respective campuses and bullies from both schools ‘ganging up’.

Mould was also identified growing across airconditioning ducts.

Education Minister Prue Car has confirmed the government is “committed to a full rebuild” on the existing Willyama site, with a community consultation to begin shortly.

“I hope that those involved in the consultation can use the process to tell us about the facilities they need at the new Willyama High School, to set Broken Hill up for future success,” she said.

“There have already been strong representations from parts of the community and it’s important that every student, staff member and parent can have their say.”

The school’s union organiser Alison Jones said while staff are “really happy” to have a rebuild of Willyama confirmed, a two-year timeline given to teachers is “wishful thinking”.

Education Minister Prue Car said the school will be rebuilt. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Simon Bullard.

Ms Jones previously wrote to Ms Car outlining a myriad of concerns about a prolonged co-location of the two schools, which she said includes “potential for conflict” between students.

“It’s a very tricky situation – you’d think as teachers we’d be seen as authority figures but we’re not getting any respect or consideration from their (Broken Hill High School) students,” she said.

“We’re definitely going to continue our fight for a better situation for our students.”

Union members from the Barrier Teachers Association met on Tuesday morning and will meet again over the coming days to decide whether or not to take industrial action.

Broken Hill High School, where Willyama staff and students may be based for three or more years while their school is rebuilt. Picture: Supplied

Broken Hill mayor Tom Kennedy said the mould outbreak, believed to have been the result of a failure to ventilate the school properly after its carpets were cleaned, is a “$100 million mistake” that will cause years of disruption to his youngest constituents’ education.

The council has joined the union’s calls to set up a temporary school opposite the existing site, and has also written to the Minister requesting the situation is taken into consideration when determining Year 12 students’ ATARs.

“I’m very disappointed that they’re going to pull the school down, I would’ve liked to have seen the school remediated so students can return to their regular schooling as soon as possible,” Mr Kennedy said.

“This means that the students will be put in a position where, after Covid, they won’t have had any normal, undisturbed learning.

“The mould was no fault of our community, and the community shouldn’t have to pay the price.”

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