NEW CARLISLE — New Carlisle Elementary School will remain closed for the remainder of the week following air and surface quality tests that confirmed soot contamination inside the facility.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Cleaning on the school’s north side is scheduled to begin Wednesday, Sept. 23, while comprehensive remediation on the south side is expected to take four to six weeks, according to a letter from Superintendent Paula Crew to school families.
As News Center 7 previously reported, the New Carlisle Fire Department, along with mutual aid departments, was called to a fire at New Carlisle Elementary School on Kennison Avenue on Sept. 16.
North side remediation will focus on the air duct systems servicing second, third and fourth grade classrooms.
Workers will clean filters and coils and encapsulate the ductwork, with work expected to finish by Sunday evening.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Man banned from University of Dayton amid sexual assault investigation
- 3 men injured after shooting in Dayton
- Crews respond to water rescue after car gets submerged in pond in Montgomery County
New Carlisle Elementary School administration outlined the reopening target for those grade levels.
“If all goes well with the cleaning and they do complete this work by Sunday, all second, third and fourth graders will return to school on Monday, September 28th,” school administration said.
Three self-contained resource rooms will also relocate from the south
Testing identified soot along the south side of the building, designating the fifth grade hallway as a contaminated area.
Cleanup in that wing requires removing and replacing ceiling tiles across classrooms, hallways, bathrooms, offices and the library, as well as cleaning the grid between the ceiling and the roof.
School leadership described the extent of the restoration needed.
“We are told the timeframe to complete this process on the south side of the building (fifth grade hallway) will take four-six weeks,” school administration said.
Air testing will follow the work to confirm safety before students and staff return.
The district is working with First Onsite, a property restoration contractor assigned by its insurance carrier.
To accommodate fifth grade students during the multi-week project, school officials are working to secure five mobile classrooms to place on school property.
School administration established a contingency arrangement if setup takes longer than anticipated.
“We do have a Plan B, which is to move our NCE fifth grade classrooms to Medway Elementary School temporarily if the mobile classrooms are not ready for our students to begin on Monday, September 28th when all other students return,” school administration said.
Under Plan B, fifth graders would temporarily occupy available space in Medway Elementary’s third grade hallway until the mobile units are ready.
School administration stated it will continue communicating with families throughout the week as updates regarding mobile classroom readiness and operational plans become available.