The fallout from the recent storms sweeping through Oregon and Washington continues, with schools now facing the brunt of Mother Nature's fury. In the aftermath of snow and ice storms last week, Portland Public Schools saw significant damage to buildings, necessitating extended closures for two of its schools, as reported by OPB. Robert Gray Middle School and Markham Elementary will not swing their doors open again to the young minds of Portland until at least mid-February.
While students at other schools resumed classes, those at Robert Gray and Markham were met with disappointment Monday, after the district confirmed extensive damages including burst pipes that flooded entire buildings and disrupted asbestos. Making efforts to repair, the district is said to be in a tough race for contractors. Due to power outages and freezing temperatures, about 10 breaks in water lines were a snapshot of the challenges faced by Robert Gray alone, as OPB was told by Director of Media Relations Valerie Feder.
Yet, the struggle to mend the damage isn’t isolated to Portland. Beaverton School District, on the contrary, opened all schools on Monday but still has lingering repair work and an overwhelming to-do list. West Tualatin View Elementary remains under repair for significant destruction caused by fallen trees, as does the Beaverton Academy of Science and Engineering. In a statement obtained by OPB, Public Communications Officer Shellie Bailey-Shah mentioned that while students have been relocated to other spaces, the district awaits a contractor's final word on additional tree removals.
The situation is mirrored across affected regions, with varying degrees of damage and delay. The Columbia River Gorge is still grappling with closed schools and delayed starts. The Oregon Trail School District is adapting routes while Dufur School District has resorted to remote operation due to the severity of the damages, according to a statement obtained by OPB. Farther afield, the Oregon Department of Education remains without a directive requiring districts to report how severe weather impacts them, leaving the department without statewide data or emergency relief funds for such unpredicted costs.
In a letter sent out to parents, PPS detailed the predicament at the affected schools. "Water damaged plaster and drywall throughout your buildings, and disrupted asbestos when ceiling pipes burst," administrators explained, shedding light on the dire circumstances and the lack of a finished blueprint for repairs. The district pledged, as KGW reports, to keep the community in the loop and ensure safety remains the top priority before reopening schools to the staff and students of Portland.
