FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (WXYZ) — An elementary school in Farmington Hills may be forced to switch to virtual learning for the start of the school year after a fire at their building a few weeks ago.
The fire at Wood Creek Elementary School on Harwich Dr. broke out early morning on July 27.
The Farmington Hills Fire Department said the damage was mostly on the outside of the building. But investigators also found extensive smoke and water damage inside the building. The damage now means students are unable to use the building with the start of the school year just a few days away.
"My son’s about to be a first grader so we were trying to pump him up get him already and, obviously, I have my own business, so I’m ready to get amped up for the school year too," said Sarah Huvaere. "It’s kind of put everything in an uncertain area."
Huvaere says the district sent a note to parents early this week notifying them of the damage in the building. Huvaere says the message was somewhat vague but did mention the possibility of shifting to virtual school as repairs are made.
"They did mention virtual, which we were like 'Oh no, not virtual!' That was really rough, obviously, throughout the pandemic for our kids and as parents that are working. So hearing that it could be virtual was very upsetting I think to a lot of parents," she said.
Several parents showed up to voice concerns about the potential shift to virtual learning at the August 13 school board meeting.
"We are less than two weeks out from school and parents have no idea what to expect," said one Wood Creek Elementary School parent.
"We are really on pins and needles on what is going to happen with this year," said another parent during public comment.
School board president Terri Weems told parents the district and board did not initially have a full grasp of the extent of the damage.
"It wasn’t until folks got into the building, started cleaning about a week ago, that they realized some of the damage could have been more extensive than was thought, and as many of you have shared we can’t control the inspection process, and what they may find but we’ll get an update today," said Weems.
In a letter shared with our newsroom and parents, the district says they are doing everything they can to avoid virtual learning. They say they have been in contact daily with a fire restoration firm on repairs to the building.
They’ve also submitted a permit to seal off the affected part of the building and, if the permit is granted, would shift affected kindergarten classrooms to portions of the building safe to use.
Additionally, the district is exploring alternate in-person options at open/unused buildings in the area.
"Everybody is really feeling this anxiety and stress because school is so close to the starting date," said Huvaere. "We’re hoping for the best that’s for sure."
The full statement from the district is below:
Dear Wood Creek Staff and Families,
I wanted to write to you and assure everyone that we are doing everything possible to be able to start school in person on Monday, August 26. We are working in concert with Principal Lewis; speaking with her every day. I appreciate those parents that attended last night’s school board meeting to share their concerns. I assure you that we all feel the same sense of urgency that was expressed.
We are in contact daily with 360 Fire and Flood, the company hired to do the fire restoration work. They have submitted the permit to re-open Wood Creek with the affected rooms blocked off from the rest of the school (a partial re-opening). This submission was to the Bureau of Construction Codes (BCC). Our Facilities Director spoke with them today and was told that the permit is being reviewed. If we do not hear back from them by tomorrow morning, I will reach out to them to see where it stands in the process. We want to let staff and parents know as soon as possible this week as to what the plan will be for school.
We are exploring all options available to us including alternate in-person locations. We are looking at sites that can house all of our students. Unfortunately, we do not have space in our district to accommodate extra students and staff. We are exploring vacant real estate in Farmington and Farmington Hills as well as other locations. We are doing everything possible to not have to start the school year virtually.
We have a solid plan in place for the partial reopening of the school if it gets approved by the BCC. We will move the affected Kindergarten classrooms to the other side of the school where this is space for them. The kitchen area was unaffected so we would be able to continue to have hot breakfast and lunches for students. The entire school has been clean and sanitized. Air quality tests have met the criteria for clean air. We are in the process of ordering materials to replace those that were damaged due to smoke and water.
I will send another message to you tomorrow. In the meantime, please feel free to contact your principal, Ms. Christina Lewis, at christina.lewis@fpsk12.net. You may also reach out to info@fpsk12.net with any questions you may have.
I appreciate all of you for your patience and understanding and I do know how unsettling this is for everyone.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kelly Coffin
Assistant Superintendent of Innovation and Strategic Initiatives
