From a news release
PERRYVILLE – Friday night’s storm caused extensive damage to the campus of Perry County School District 32, with all buildings sustaining damage of varying degrees. The entire campus remains closed to everyone except authorized staff and contractors, but much progress has been made in securing buildings and removing debris.
Classes have been cancelled through Friday, March 21, but Superintendent Dr. Fara Jones said that district administrators have worked since the storm to plan how and when faculty and students will resume classes.
“That effort, led by Chief Academic Officer Jane Narrow, is ongoing, and we are committed to returning our students to in-person learning as soon as possible,” Dr. Jones said. “We know that is what’s best for kids, and that’s what we are going to do. While we do not have specific details yet, I want to assure our staff and parents that we want to give our students a great finish to this school year.”
There has been a great deal of activity happening over the last five days, Dr. Jones said.
“The district’s administrators and maintenance staff have worked since the weekend to assess the damage our facilities sustained during the storm,” said Dr. Jones. “A disaster restoration team is getting buildings secured to prevent secondary damage in case of rain or winds. They have made great progress in securing the buildings by covering broken windows and damaged roofs and cleaning up debris. Ames, the construction company working on the Chester Bridge, volunteered Sunday to clean debris from our grounds. What they accomplished in a few hours is nothing short of incredible. Our maintenance team has been working tirelessly to support these efforts despite their own shop being destroyed.
“Structural engineers have been working to determine the status of all of our buildings. As of Wednesday, we know that the high school facility sustained major damage. The middle school is still being assessed. The primary and elementary buildings had roof damage which has been temporarily repaired to help prevent leakage. The Career Center also had roof damages that have been patched. The Old Senior High has also had temporary repairs, as it sustained a damaged roof and many broken windows, which led to some interior damage.
“Right now (Wednesday), we are in a race against time to shore everything up against the wind and rain heading our way. One of our biggest worries is continuing water damage.”
Teachers, counselors and principals are in the process of checking in with staff and students to determine how many district families may be affected by the storm. “We are heartbroken not just about the damages to campus, but also for those who have suffered losses at home,” Dr. Jones said. “We want to be able to support them in whatever way we can.”
Superintendent Dr. Fara Jones has met several times with city and county officials since the storm.“Our local leaders reached out immediately to offer every support available to them,” Dr. Jones said. “State officials have also reached out to us, which we appreciate greatly. Our board members have been a tremendous support to our administration team.
Dr. C.J. Huff, who was superintendent of Joplin Schools during and after the May 2011 tornado that devastated the district and community, has also been on site offering valuable insight and advice to the administration team.
“And we have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from our community,” she said. “We are so very grateful to every individual and organization that has offered to volunteer and donate whatever we may need. We aren’t quite sure exactly what our needs are today, but we will share that information soon.”
Dr. Jones said that the district will continue to provide regular updates to parents, staff, and the community as new information becomes available.
“We understand that everyone wants to know when we will reopen school, but we don’t have that answer just yet,” she said. “We are all grateful for our community’s continued support and patience as we work to get the information we need to move forward. We’re going to need some grace in the coming weeks as we begin the process of recovery.”