They went up quickly, but lately folks have begun to notice no movement at the site of the temporary schools in the last few days.
That’s because there’s a problem.
Tipton County Schools Director of Instruction Dr. Rebekah Byrd said on Friday, April 28, district leadership was informed of some ground water concerns that will have to be addressed before the sites can continue to be prepped for students.
“Since these structures are being designed to house students in a safe environment for an extended period of time, our initial planning is extremely important,” she said. “We are partnering with city coding officials, the state fire marshal, engineers, attorneys, and law enforcement to make these structures a place where families will be comfortable sending their children.”
Both Crestview Elementary and Crestview Middle, schools which share the same parking lot, were catastrophically damaged in the March 31 EF-3 tornado. Since then, Pre-K through second grade students have not attended school while third through eighth graders returned to the classroom last week for TCAP testing.
Third through fifth grade students have been sharing a building with Charger Academy and middle school students have been going to the high school. Upperclassmen have become distance learners to provide more space for the middle school students.
The temporary facilities being constructed in Cobb Parr Park’s Baltzer Field were supposed to be ready, but with just three weeks left of the school year – parents found out
CES and CMS are working on instructional plans for students once state testing is complete this week. The details of these plans will be communicated with families by CES and CMS administration as soon as they are finalized.
Thank you to our families for their support and patience as we work through this together. We will continue to keep our community updated through our district website and social media and encourage our families to reach out to their child’s school if they have questions.
Author: Echo Day
Echo Day is an award-winning journalist, photographer and designer. She is currently The Leader's managing editor.
