Update: This story has been edited to include comments from Superintendent Matthew Carpenter that were not part of a Facebook post.
Oneida High School students have lost their school twice this summer, both times because the buildings simply weren’t safe enough.
Now, three weeks before the first day of school on Sept. 5, they still don’t know where they’ll attend school, how they’ll get there or any other logistical details.
Oneida High School was flooded in late June and the district announced on July 21 that it would remain closed for the 2025-2026 school year because of extensive damage to its electrical and mechanical systems.
The district then settled on a plan earlier in August to use the former Bishop Grimes High School in East Syracuse, which closed permanently in June, if it could reach a lease agreement with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse.
That hasn’t worked out, either.
“The Oneida City School District has been working tirelessly to create the best possible plan for our students during this challenging time,” Superintendent Matthew Carpenter said. “While we were actively pursuing a lease agreement with Bishop Grimes, there were many factors that must be carefully considered when entering into a lease for a public school district. Unfortunately, we were unable to move forward with the lease.”
A group of district maintenance personnel, engineers, architects, IT specialists and outside contractors had inspected the high school, Carpenter wrote in a letter posted to the district’s Facebook page on Aug. 13.
“Based on their professional assessments, significant work would have been required to address mechanical, heating, safety, and network systems,” Carpenter wrote. “Unfortunately, these upgrades could not be completed in a timely fashion to ensure the building would be fully ready and safe for the start of school.”
Carpenter thanked the diocese for offering the school and declared the district’s intention to provide students with a “secure and supportive learning environment.”
More information on the district’s plans for the high school will be released in the coming days, he said in that letter.
“This is not the outcome we had anticipated,” Carpenter said when asked about the situation. “Please know that we are pivoting quickly and working around the clock to refine an alternative plan that will allow our students to have a safe, engaging, and successful academic year.”
The district had previously released information saying that its best options for holding high school were either using Bishop Grimes or having both high school and middle school students attend Otto Shortell Middle School, high school students early in the day and middle school students later.
Carpenter did not answer questions about whether the middle school plan will move forward or whether it’s still even an option.
The district did also pass along some good news. Progress is continuing to be made on repairs to the high school, officials announced in a Facebook post on Aug. 13.
Here’s some of the progress that has been made:
For the latest information on plans for Oneida High School in the coming school year, look for updates on the district website or, for district families, through ParentSquare.
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Three weeks till the start of school: Oneida High School has nowhere to go
Reporting by Amy Neff Roth, Utica Observer Dispatch / Observer-Dispatch
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