An elementary school in Janesville is closing for the “foreseeable future” and canceling its classes this week due to water damage caused by a weekend of floods, the Janesville School District said April 20 on social media.
Video posted on the district’s Facebook page shows water rushing into the cafeteria and submerging lunch tables at Washington Elementary School on April 17. Photos show additional flood damage to several rooms in the school, with murky water and debris covering floors, school items and furniture.
“Impact assessments conducted over the weekend reveal the damage is extensive, affecting multiple levels of the building,” the district said in its post. “There is significant impact on essential service areas including the kitchen, lunchroom, art room, mechanical systems and several classroom spaces.”
The district is now seeking alternative spaces to host about 400 students who attend the school and will be displaced due to the closure.
“To ensure a seamless transition to a temporary learning environment, classes for all Washington Elementary students have been canceled for the remainder of this week,” the district said. “This pause allows district leadership to finalize logistical arrangements such as transportation, nutrition, technology and more.”
The Boys & Girls Club of Janesville and YMCA of Northern Rock County are offering free childcare to Washington Elementary School families this week while classes are canceled.
The school closure follows consecutive days of extreme weather across Wisconsin, including tornadoes, flooding, severe thunderstorms and baseball-sized hail.
As of April 18, the National Weather Service had confirmed at least 13 tornadoes touched down in Wisconsin on April 17, including one in Rock County. At 6:05 p.m., an EF-1 tornado occurred 4 miles southeast of Janesville with peak winds of 100 mph.
From April 13 to 18, there were at least 24 tornadoes in Wisconsin, the National Weather Service confirmed – more than the state typically sees in an entire year.
It has been a historically rainy April in Wisconsin. According to the National Weather Service’s volunteer monitoring service, Janesville recorded 4.26 inches of rain on April 17. Kayla Huynh covers K-12 education, teachers and solutions for the Journal Sentinel. Contact: khuynh@gannett.com. Follow her on X: @_kaylahuynh.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Janesville elementary school closes for ‘foreseeable future’ after flooding
Reporting by Kayla Huynh, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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