FSK School Relocating to Thurgood Marshall Feb. 2 Amid Mold Concerns

Contractors repairing a leaking HVAC unit at Francis Scott Key Elementary/Middle School in Locust Point found mold and moisture behind walls, leading Baltimore City Public Schools to close the Locust Point building and relocate the school temporarily. The discovery and abrupt move affect families, staff, and routines for 589 students and raise fresh questions about building upkeep and remediation protocols.

During a virtual town hall on Jan. 25, BCPS officials announced that FSK will operate virtually for one more week and begin in-person learning at the Thurgood Marshall Building, 5001 Sinclair Lane in Northeast Baltimore, on Feb. 2. Plans call for FSK to return to Locust Point on March 2, pending remediation work and clearance testing. BCPS said it will provide 13 school buses for daily transport while the school is at the temporary site. FSK will occupy the eastern section of Thurgood Marshall, a building already used to temporarily house relocated schools.

The immediate practical impact is logistical. Families who live in Locust Point will now have students traveling to Northeast Baltimore for in-person classes, and BCPS will be responsible for coordinating bus routes, pick-up times, and safety protocols for 13 buses serving 589 students. Parents and staff at the town hall raised concerns about transportation logistics and whether bus capacity and routing will meet demand without long waits or added travel time.

Community members also pressed BCPS on the remediation process and the building condition history for the Locust Point site. The timeline places the return roughly five weeks after the discovery, but residents want specifics on the scope of remediation, the contractors involved, benchmarks for progress, and the full results of air and surface clearance testing before students return. The town hall left some questions unanswered, and that gap has contributed to anxiety among parents and teachers.

Institutional accountability will shape how this episode is judged locally. Clear, verifiable testing results and an open remediation timeline will be necessary to restore trust. School facility maintenance and inspection regimes are already a civic concern in Baltimore; how BCPS documents repairs and communicates evidence of safety will determine whether the move is viewed as prudent or as another instance of deferred maintenance prompting last-minute disruptions.

For the coming days, FSK families should expect one week of virtual instruction followed by in-person classes at Thurgood Marshall starting Feb. 2, with a planned return to Locust Point on March 2 pending clearance testing. Baltimore parents and community groups will be watching BCPS for detailed bus schedules, remediation updates, and testing results to ensure students return to a safe, healthy building.