WHS UPDATE: ASBESTOS REMEDIATION
Friday, November 7, 2025
Washington County Public Schools (WCPS) is glad to share several positive updates with the Williamsport High School community regarding the ongoing asbestos mitigation efforts.
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Progress Toward Reopening
WCPS continues to follow a timeline to meet the goal of reopening WHS to all students and staff by the start of the second semester. The timing and coordination of several factors remains critical.
On a typical day, there are over 70 workers in the building to decontaminate items through the five-step process, remove contents that are cleared of asbestos, and to clean. All items that need to be cleaned and removed from the school should be cleared out by the end of this week.
There is another crew dedicated exclusively to cleaning the interior surfaces of the entire ventilation system ductwork throughout the building. There are about 15 more workers who are removing any asbestos fibers and dust from the ductwork.
Work has restarted on the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. This project was initially suspended in the summer when the asbestos fibers were discovered. It is important this work continues while the asbestos remediation is ongoing.
Gym Will Open for Winter Sports
The gym, locker rooms, and bathrooms in the area of the gym will reopen by the end of next week and will be used for winter sports practices and games. WCPS recognizes these extracurricular activities play a considerable role in keeping students connected while the rest of the building is closed.
Air quality testing conducted in the gym after content removal, cleaning, and duct-cleaning indicates no asbestos fibers are present. When people come to the gym, they will notice that it has been sealed off from the rest of the school with additional walls adjacent to the concessions stand. This ensures that asbestos fibers that are being remediated in other areas of the building do not spread to the gym.
It should be noted that the HVAC system will not be fully operable at the beginning of winter sports practices. Staff is working on providing alternative heat sources until the new boilers are up and running. The HVAC system in the gymnasium operates independently from the rest of the building and therefore is incapable of moving air from zones that are still contaminated into the clean gymnasium.
WCPS is sharing the air quality testing results from the gym that indicates no asbestos fibers are present. You can review these results, and the analysis from an independent third-party asbestos remediation consulting firm.
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Next Community Update – November 18, 2025
WCPS leadership staff will be sharing another update with the Board of Education at the next public business meeting on November 18, 2025. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m.
WCPS would like to thank our community partners for supporting WHS and our students through the school closure. From providing space for students and staff to meet to organizing fundraisers to support student organizations, your care and contributions are greatly appreciated.