Students of Lakeside High School in Ashtabula are being forced to quickly adapt to an interim schooling arrangement following a roof collapse caused by significant snow accumulation. As reported by WKYC, the high school in Saybrook Township faced a partial roof collapse over the weekend after enduring lake effect snow, which, per National Weather Service estimates, totaled more than five feet.
Superintendent Lisa Newsome shared the district’s contingency plans during a press briefing, including the remote learning initiative, which will run until Dec. 17, and the provision of grab-and-go meals for students. According to News5Cleveland, Newsome underscored the determination to "do this the right way" and ensure student safety by conducting daily inspections.
The necessity for a makeshift educational environment comes after damages that have rendered the high school's facilities unusable. "The roof is lifted from the top of the building and is separated from the building," Newsome said, per News5Cleveland. The damage has escalated beyond the initial eight classrooms, complicating the restoration timeframe.
The district has swiftly moved forward with an extensive relocation plan, where pre-schoolers at Heron Primary will shift to the Ontario building, allowing high school students to use the fully vacated Heron building. "We are going to take a few classrooms on Ontario and move them to Superior," Newsome detailed in an interview, according to Cleveland19. Moreover, with teachers unable to retrieve materials from the compromised high school, the focus will be on essentials, with a reliance on Chromebooks.
