By RYAN SKAITH
Students in the Harris-Lake Park School District will return to classrooms Wednesday following a significant boiler failure that shuttered the district’s elementary school just weeks before its scheduled closure.
The weekend malfunction at the 1970s-era elementary building caused extensive steam, water, and electrical damage throughout the facility. The damage was severe enough to keep students in all grade levels home for the first two days of the week while administrators scrambled to find alternative instructional spaces.
Starting Wednesday, the district will utilize a split-campus approach to finish the winter term. Preschool and kindergarten classes have been relocated to the Presbyterian Church in Lake Park. Meanwhile, all students in grades 1 through 12 will be consolidated into the district’s existing middle and high school building.
School officials noted that the elementary building was already nearing the end of its lifespan, as it lacked modern air conditioning and relied on a failing boiler system that required constant maintenance. A new, modern elementary school is currently under construction and is expected to open in approximately eight weeks.
