About 840 Del Sur Elementary students will remain at a temporary 4S Ranch campus until at least January 2027 because of mold found on their home campus.
Poway Unified School District (PUSD) announced the delay in a Friday, Sept. 4, message posted to the Del Sur school website, first reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune. Officials said the additional four months are needed to find the root cause of mold discovered on campus in late July and to complete a broader remediation effort.
The school's heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system appears to be the primary contributor. Remediation will include ripping out all existing carpet, replacing flooring, installing new interior finishes and moving all furniture and classroom contents into storage. The district said it aims to address underlying moisture and humidity conditions permanently rather than apply another short-term fix.
District officials wrote in the Sept. 4 message that the campus will not reopen simply to meet a projected return date. They said students and staff will return only after follow-up testing has been professionally reviewed and objective evidence shows the campus is safe.
A month of shifting timelines
Del Sur families first learned of the closure on Tuesday, Aug. 11, just two days before the scheduled first day of school on Thursday, Aug. 13. Principal Jennie Ganesan and Associate Superintendent of Business Support Services Eric Dill wrote in a letter to families that delaying classes was the most responsible course of action. They said the decision was made in consultation with district leadership and informed by independent third-party professionals.
The district initially aimed to reopen Tuesday, Aug. 18, or Wednesday, Aug. 19. That target slipped within days. At a Wednesday, Aug. 19, family information meeting at Del Norte High School, officials announced Del Sur students would start classes Friday, Aug. 21, at Stone Ranch Elementary, nearly three miles away, with a goal of returning to Del Sur by Monday, Sept. 21.
Hundreds of parents packed that Wednesday meeting. The San Diego Union-Tribune described the reception as "boisterous, sometimes angry." Some parents said their children had experienced what they believed could be mold-related health issues over the past few years. Stone Ranch families raised concerns about how one campus could hold both schools' populations.
How the temporary setup works
Stone Ranch Elementary, which has about 550 students of its own, accommodates Del Sur's enrollment by staggering arrival and dismissal times by about an hour. At least four Del Sur classes were initially held at the nearby 4S Ranch Boys & Girls Club.
Seven portable classrooms arrived at Stone Ranch. PUSD Chief Communications Officer Josué Reyna said on Monday, Sept. 7, that the portables would support the classes previously at the Boys & Girls Club and other Del Sur classes in temporary spaces. The portables were set to be ready for students starting Tuesday, Sept. 8.
What's still unknown
The total cost of remediation, repair and relocation has not been determined. Reyna said as of Sunday, Sept. 6, that the figure was still being calculated.
The district did not initially use the word "mold" publicly, instead describing the situation as "moisture-related concerns." Mold has since been confirmed in testing reports linked to district messages.
No specific next milestone date or family meeting has been announced beyond the January 2027 planning target. The district said it will continue sharing environmental reports and findings with families through the Del Sur school website.
