Ohio State rehousing students living in dorm where mold, mushrooms were found

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Students living in an Ohio State University dormitory where black mold and mushrooms were found growing will have a new residence come next semester. 

According to an Ohio State spokesman, all students living in Lawrence Tower will be moved to new accommodations at the beginning of the spring semester. 

“This will minimize further disruptions to their student experience and facilitate ongoing renovations,” the spokesman wrote in a statement. 

NBC 4 first told you last week about students reporting black mold and, in one case, mushrooms were found growing in some of the rooms in Lawrence Tower. The university said a water leak was the cause of the growth and relocated 40 students from 19 rooms to new rooms on campus. 

According to the university, Lawrence Tower residents will have the option of moving to another dormitory, a residence close to campus, or canceling their housing contract and finding alternative housing.  

Students who don’t want to relocate can choose to remain in their rooms as long as it is safe, as determined by Columbus Public Health and a third-party company hired by the university. 

In the statement released Thursday, Ohio State said it has started reviewing test results for rooms in Lawrence and “early reviews indicate that most rooms are within the expected range when compared to the immediate outdoor environment.” 

Earlier this week, an Ohio State spokesperson said work to repair the leak and any water damage inside Lawrence Tower is underway, but would not comment on the scope of the damage.

Some parents of students living in Lawrence have hired a private company -- Mold Mentor -- to test 28 rooms for mold. Those tests revealed 27 of the 28 rooms tested came back positive for black mold.