Parents of students who attended William Gillett Academy in the Labrador community of Charlottetown are getting what they asked for on the last day of the school year — a brand new school.

The government announced Friday a plan to get K-12 students back into a healthy classroom environment after large amounts of black mould were discovered in March 2012. Parents said the mould was making children sick, and the school has been closed for months.

“This has been a very complicated process, and I thank all parties for their patience and co-operation, and for coming up with a solution that addresses two needs in the community,” said Education Minister Clyde Jackman.

A study found high levels of mould at William Gillett Academy in Charlottetown, Labrador. The school will now be rebuilt.“At the end of the day, the students of Charlottetown and surrounding area will have a safe school in which to learn and grow, and the town will have a municipal building which will serve [its] needs for many years to come.”

The government said a tender will be immediately called to start construction on interim classrooms for this fall. It plans to spend a total of $7 million.

The money will go towards temporary classrooms that will be attached to the town’s recreation centre, the place students have been attending since leaving the contaminated school, and a new school that is expected to be built by September 2014.

The school will include programming areas such as a science lab, computer room and a lunchroom, the government said.

Approximately 50 students will use the new learning spaces.

“We are pleased that the provincial government is investing in the short-term and long-term needs of the students in the Charlottetown area,” said Donald Brown, Chair of the Western School Board.

“We recognize this has been a challenging process for all involved. However, working together, we will now have an enhanced learning environment and improved programming areas for students long into the future.”

Study confirms mould

In April, an independent study confirmed high levels of mould throughout the school.

The 29-page report detailed a high concentration of black mould that appeared a month after the school was shut down.

At the time, Charlottetown Deputy Mayor Lisa Dempster, who is also a school councillor, said she wanted the school written off, and urged the school board to focus on creating mobile classrooms in time for the new school year. She said it would be unacceptable for students to return to a mouldy classroom.

Classrooms to become town hall once school opens

Once the new school is ready, the temporary classrooms will be converted in new town hall for the community.

The government said the cost of the recreation centre expansion will be shared between the Departments of Education and Municipal Affairs. The Town of Charlottetown will also contribute funds once the students have moved into the school.