A public school in one of Fort McMurray‘s hardest-hit neighbourhoods will not reopen to students in the fall.
Fort McMurray Public Schools Board Chair Jeff Thompson said Beacon Hill Public School will remain closed for at least another school year after officials found “a lot of particulate residue in the school.”
Beacon Hill is one of three Fort McMurray neighbourhoods deemed uninhabitable due to toxins. Thompson said the issues with the public school are mainly a result of the windows being left open.
“We suffered a lot of smoke and particulate damage,” Thompson said. “A number of homes were destroyed in the Beacon Hill area, and a lot of the particulates from those fires actually entered the facility and caused a lot of damage inside the facility. The cleanup will take some time.”
READ MORE: 3 Fort McMurray neighbourhoods uninhabitable due to toxins
The ceiling tiles will have to be replaced, along with any other parts of the school that can absorb particulates and smoke, Thompson said. The school’s network lines will also have to be redone, he added.
Come September, students enrolled at Beacon Hill Public School will attend Dr. K. A. Clark School instead.
“They will be a school within a school there,” Thompson explained. “The Beacon Hill staff and administration will still operate as an independent school.”
Inspections at other Fort McMurray public schools still need to be done. Thompson hopes the board will have more information on the inspections by the end of July.
READ MORE: Fort McMurray school inspections start as crews check air quality, structural integrity
In addition to the closure in Beacon Hill, Thompson said the opening of one of the town’s new schools, Christina Gordon, will be delayed until January or February. The school was originally expected to open this fall. Students set to attend Christina Gordon will be sent to Timberlea Public School.
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