Students Return To Greenwich School Following Building Issues

Greenwich CT

03 March, 2021

5:31 PM

Description

GREENWICH, CT — Students returned to in-person learning at North Mianus School in Greenwich on Tuesday, weeks after the building was damaged by flooding and a ceiling collapse on Feb. 13. In a letter sent to families on Feb. 24, Superintendent Toni Jones and Angela Schmidt, the school's principal, said an engineer's report of the incident was finalized that day and sent to the town building inspector's office. (To sign up for Greenwich breaking news alerts and more, click here.) "After thorough testing and analysis," the letter reads, "it has been confirmed that the plaster ceiling fell on the sprinkler pipe causing the flood and the hung ceiling to collapse." Jones and Schmidt said the school's "original building," the front area of the building that flooded on the first and second floor, would need to be closed and undergo an "extensive" ceiling renovation. "We are hopeful that we may continue to use the portions of the building that have been constructed more recently and are not impacted by the ceiling issue," the letter reads. The letter also noted the district was "exploring space availability" for students and staff whose classrooms are in the original building and would need to learn from an alternate location. The next day, Jones and Schmidt said in a follow-up letter that students being temporarily relocated would return to in-person learning Tuesday. The letter also noted the following alternate school locations for some students: All eight sections of students in grades 1 and 4 will be relocated to Cos Cob School All sections of grade 5 will be relocated to Old Greenwich School The three sections of the advanced learning program will be relocated to Parkway School All sections of kindergarten and grades 2 and 3 will remain at North Mianus"The goal for students remaining at North Mianus is to return for in-person learning [Tuesday] as well, as we are anticipating that an inspection will allow us to utilize the newer sections of the building, while relocating those classrooms which are closed," the letter reads. "For those returning to North Mianus, all affected areas will be safely sectioned off and will be inaccessible to all students and staff." According to the letter, district officials currently expect these changes will "likely need to remain in effect through the end of the school year" due to the extensive renovations required. "However," the letter reads, "we are remaining adaptive and will continue to evaluate the set-up for our relocated students and staff to ensure we are providing the best learning environment, and will address any concerns promptly." District officials later announced students set to remain at the North Mianus building would also return to in-person learning this week. Upon welcoming those students back to the North Mianus building Tuesday, Schmidt said she was grateful to the school's community for their flexibility as students and staff adjust to their new school environments. "I loved seeing the students arrive at school [Tuesday] morning, happy and eager to be here," Schmidt said. "We certainly miss our staff and students who are at our host schools, but we are fortunate that they have been welcomed with open arms. I am confident this will be a successful school year despite the obstacles." Board of Education chair Peter Bernstein said he was happy to see North Mianus students return to in-person learning this week as well, and praised some of the people who made it possible. "I am so pleased that the North Mianus students were able to return to school in person," Bernstein said, "thanks to the amazing efforts of our facilities staff and the administration and teachers of North Mianus and the host schools." In light of the North Mianus incident, district officials previously announced Old Greenwich School, Riverside Elementary School and Julian Curtiss School would move to fully remote learning for "a short period of time" beginning Feb. 19. Jones noted the three school buildings are of "relatively similar age and construction" to North Mianus, so an engineering firm would be running safety tests on each one to ensure there are no potential issues. In a letter sent to families at all three schools on Feb. 25, Jones said the town's building inspector had approved the return of students to all three school buildings, and in-person learning resumed the following day. "All three buildings have been deemed safe for in-person learning," Jones said in the letter. "The only item of note on the report is a minor, non-safety item at Old Greenwich School. The investigation showed a few areas of penetration in non-accessible areas of plaster ceiling. We have been reassured that this is not a safety issue and that the minor repairs can be performed in non-school hours."