WOOD RIVER, Ill. — More than 500 students in the Metro East got the week off school after a fire caused extensive damage to their 95-year-old school building.
From the outside, Lewis and Clark Elementary School looks like any other school, but inside it’s a different story.
“Inside our building, there is extensive smoke damage to different portions of the building,” said Principal Jill Christeson. “Some areas look like nothing happened at all, and other areas are just covered.”
Thankfully, there were no students in the school Friday when a fire started in the basement.
“Smoke quickly went up the duct system and spread throughout the school,” said Christeson.
Crews from ServPro have been called in to assist with the cleanup, but it could still be six to eight weeks before students are allowed back in the building.
“School was canceled for this entire week,” said Christeson. “We are in the process now of trying to place about 500 students.”
The current plan would split students between Hartford Elementary and nearby East Alton Wood River High School.
“It has been a logistical nightmare making sure that we can fit everyone safely,” said Christeson. “That trickles into transportation and shuttling. Of course, like everywhere right now we’re short on bus drivers, so we’re limited with that.”
As the district searches for a third location, it’s unclear if they even have the capability for e-learning.
“We just want to get them back to in-person,” said Christeson. “Remote is a great option, but at this time we don’t even know about our devices and how usable they’re going to be.”
That’s why Christeson is asking for patience as they come up with a plan.
“These kids have been through so much,” said Christeson. “We just have to rally around them, and rally around our teachers right now, and do the best we can to help these students succeed.”
District leaders plan to post information on where each child's classroom will be located, bussing information, and possible instructions for remote learning on the school's social media and website as soon as it's available.