Following a partial roof collapse on New Year’s Day, Latonia Elementary will reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 13, the Covington district Superintendent Alvin Garrison announced Jan. 8.
The return comes amid the district-wide switch to remote instruction days Jan. 7 through Jan. 9 as Covington Independent Schools determined next steps for the approximately 3,500 students in the district.
All students, except the 250-some students attending Latonia Elementary, will return to in-person instruction Jan. 12, the district outlined in a press release. Latonia students will not have any instruction Jan. 12.
Latonia families are invited to attend an open house at the school beginning at 3 p.m. Jan. 12 to hear from the administrators and engineers tending to the roof collapse.
Emergency crews responded to the school on New Year’s Day during the early morning hours and found the gymnasium’s roof partially collapsed. No injuries were reported and the site was secured by the evening of Jan. 1.
Two Cincinnati-based private engineering companies, Structural Systems Repair Group and Advantage Structural Engineers, have neared completion of “emergency stabilization and controlled demolition” at the elementary school, the district stated Jan. 8. The groups have assessed conditions and ensured the school could safely reopen.
“We are pleased with the work that is being done at Latonia Elementary School and excited to see our students back in the building next week,” Garrison said. “We know that students learn best in the classroom and we are confident that Latonia Elementary School is a safe place to learn.”
What repairs have been made at Latonia Elementary?
Part of the work included installing shoring towers, bracing exterior walls and removing the solar panels that sat on top of the gymnasium’s roof, the district said.
Covington Independent Schools said the engineering groups have not found any concerns with the structure of the elementary school’s main building after conducting a structural assessment. The rest of the building has also been verified to not have been jeopardized by the partial roof collapse, the district added.
“It should be understood that the gym structure and the main school structure are two different structural systems that do not share the same characteristics, materials, or design. Therefore, whatever the cause of the collapse, it does not correlate directly to the main school building structure,” the release stated.
Crews expect to complete remaining work, including weatherproofing and securing the gymnasium area for the coming months, by the end of this week.
Cleanup service Servpro is removing any debris from the collapse that may have spread through the school’s HVAC system. The group is consulting school representatives, insurance personnel, safety contractors, engineers and the Covington Fire Department to ensure the school can host students Jan. 13, the release stated.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Latonia Elementary will reopen Jan. 13 after roof collapse, district says
Reporting by Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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