After two unscheduled days off, the Lewis Central Community School District was up and running again Monday.
Lewis Central schools were closed Thursday and Friday after storm damage Wednesday night cut off power and communications to several buildings. As of Friday morning, three buildings were without power, and four were without communication. In addition, windows were broken or shattered in 10 of the school district’s buses.
It was a surprise to school personnel, said Dana Barker, principal at Titan Hill Intermediate School.
“It was definitely an unexpected turn of events,” she said. “With the unseasonably warm weather this month, we were not planning on a school closure day prior to winter break.”
“We are fortunate to work for a district that prioritizes the safety of our students and staff during situations such as these,” Barker continued. “We appreciate the efforts of everyone who worked to restore our systems to working order.”
On Monday, power had been restored, and the communication system was connected again, Superintendent Eric Knost said. The district was able to double up some bus routes and cover transportation needs.
“We really didn’t have any additional room for error, but everything worked well,” he said.
The district was waiting for replacement windows for the buses, and the HVAC system at the Educational Resource Center malfunctioned when power came back on Friday and was not working Monday, Knost said.
“We’re trying to utilize portable heaters for the board meeting tonight,” he said about Monday’s Board of Education meeting.
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
