KINGDOM CITY – Just back from Christmas break, students at North Callaway High School have been granted yet another furlough – this time for faulty pipelines and gas fumes.
NCHS officials told The Ledger Wednesday that the school would be closed for the remainder of the week – and likely a part or all of next week – for the installation of a new pipeline system.
Last month, classes were dismissed for one day when a gas odor was detected in the agriculture studies area of the school. Monday, school officials received the results of an air test taken earlier – which indicated a definite propane leak.
Given the age of the current pipe system, the district – at the advice of mechanical engineers – decided it was best to halt classes and fix the problem immediately.
Officials anticipate a 7- to 10-day break in classes.
"It's an unfortunate situation that we didn't want to happen, but felt we needed to do, for the security and safety of our staff and students," superintendent Roy Moss said Wednesday. "We're not sure that it will take the full 7 to10 days to accomplish this feat. We're trying to get it expedited as soon as possible."
Moss said that specifications for the bidding process were to be hand delivered Wednesday, and that a response was expected within the week. The cost for the job, he said, will be determined once the bids are returned.
When asked if this much time out of school could jeopardize the district's eligibility for state aid, Moss was optimistic that it wouldn't, but said that decision is ultimately up to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
State statutes require schools to be in session 174 days to receive state payment. North Callaway has already used four of its snow days – that they intend to make up – and moving classes to another location is not feasible, Moss said.
"We looked into that (moving classes), but after considering the move, the liability issues and other things like lunch, and transportation issues, we thought it was ideal to do the 7 to 10 days instead," Moss said. "If it were for the whole semester or the rest of the school year, then different options would be considered."
Moss said the district intends to speak with DESE about the matter, and possibly ask for forgiveness for the days missed.
"We're going to have to do something because you can't use combustible gas and taking safety measures in the same sentence," Moss noted. "That's where conversations with DESE need to take place to see if there is any type of forgiveness that can be granted because of this catastrophic situation."
Until then, sporting events and other activities scheduled at the school will be put on hold.
"We've had conversations about this, and right now, I really don't know what we intend to do," Moss said, noting that he met with the administrative team Tuesday night to discuss the issue. "We're going to try and continue to not disrupt anything."
Next week, the varsity level teams will be involved in the South Callaway Invitational, so they don’t have anything scheduled in the gym, and can practice in one of the three other gyms located in the elementary schools, Moss said. The junior varsity and freshman games are the only real concerns.
"This week, we are working on relocating those, if they were to be home games," he said.
The three elementary schools in the district are unaffected by the closing, Moss said, and are still "running buses, feeding students and educating as normal."