Superintendent Evan Bishop on Thursday night spoke to the School Committee about measures taken in response to air quality complaints at Hopkinton Middle School. 

The superintendent said the issue initially was reported in two adjoining classrooms last year.

“The safety of our students and staff is our top priority and always will be,” Bishop said.

At that time, testing by an environmental consultant found conditions in the normal range with no elevated mold levels, he said.

Following deep cleaning in December, concerns were raised again in January 2026, prompting a second round of testing. Staff members identified areas they wanted checked, such as walls, windows and vents. Once again, the results showed no significant mold contamination.

Bishop said he appreciated the concerns being brought forward, adding: “The district responded appropriately, thoughtfully and thoroughly and in good faith,” keeping safety at the forefront.

Actions taken included additional HVAC servicing, filter and ceiling tile replacement, and ozone air scrubbing units used on evenings and weekends.

Tim Persson, director of buildings and grounds, noted the rooms in question were split with floor to ceiling partitions — the top halves of which were removed to allow the air flow to improve. 

Additionally, he said, an office within an office in that area was opened to “let more air free flow through.”

This summer, the undersides of student desks and chairs will be cleaned as they always are this time of year, Persson said.

Shawn McAuliffe, Hopkinton’s health director, appeared on Zoom to inform the committee that he believed the correct tests and measures took place. McAuliffe said that he was a consultant prior to working in public health and the actions by the district are “consistent with what I would have recommended as a consultant.”

School Committee member Chris Masters said he also was satisfied with what took place. The matter was brought to his attention as his child was in one of the classrooms.

“The district has gone above and beyond … and that’s appreciated,” Masters said.

Bishop said administrators met with teachers and Hopkinton Teachers Association (HTA) leadership throughout the process.  

Retirees, student representatives recognized

Earlier in the meeting, the superintendent and School Committee members recognized retiring personnel, presenting them with gifts and taking a photo together.

The retirees included: James Bastarache, head custodian, 17 years; Donald Friberg, maintenance supervisor, 25.5 years; Bonnie Gaus, art teacher, 25 years; Jane Glazier, paraprofessional, 20 years; Lorelle Govoni, mathematics teacher, 13 years; Andrew Longoria, learning specialist, 20 years; and Debra Pinto, physical education teacher, 30 years.

Susan Rothermich, retiring assistant superintendent of operations and finance, also was honored and praised for her abilities leading the district through major building projects and challenging budgets.

The student representatives to the committee, Ella Snyder and Ryan Click, were recognized at their last meeting in those roles.

Snyder said she would be attending Colby College and majoring in neuroscience with an eye toward medical school. Click said he would be studying marketing at James Madison University with a goal to start his own business in the future.

Both students said they were honored and grateful for the opportunity to participate on the committee and share perspectives from their peers.

Bishop described them as “great kids” and said he could not have asked for better student representatives during his first year as superintendent.

In other business, the committee revisited its earlier rating of “developing” in its evaluation of Bishop in the “shared vision” category. The committee was informed that the rating was erroneous and had to be “needs improvement,” or “proficient.” Members voted for the latter.