ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Some Harrison-Morton Middle School students displaced by flooding there have been moved again, this time from St. Francis School, due to a mechanical failure.
Allentown School District officials said Thursday they're confident that all sixth- through eighth-graders will be back to in-person learning by Monday.
At a School Board meeting Thursday, district Chief Operations Officer Robert Whartenby provided an update on the status of the middle school, which was vacated due to extensive flooding from at least one burst pipe in mid-February.
“So that's where we're going to split up the purple and gold group out of Harrison-Morton Middle School… 120 plus their staff will be going over to South Mountain. The other 120 plus their staff will be going over to Trexler. That way, that student cohorts together with other middle school kids, and they will be able to be educated accordingly.”Allentown School District Chief Operations Officer Robert
Part of that update included another issue — the former St. Francis School, which had taken about 240 students, plus teachers and staff from Harrison-Morton — was no longer usable due to a “mechanical failure.”
St. Francis was among several temporary sites that took in Harrison-Morrison students following the flooding of their 151-year-old school building.
Those included Raub, South Mountain and Trexler middle schools; William Penn Alternative School; Dieruff High School and Lehigh Carbon Community College's Donley Center.
Split, and still more issues
Students who were at St. Francis were split between South Mountain and Trexler middle schools.
“Both of those schools and their administrations opened up their school to six classrooms each,” Whartenby said.
“So that's where we're going to split up the purple and gold group out of Harrison-Morton Middle School… 120 plus their staff will be going over to South Mountain.
"The other 120 plus their staff will be going over to Trexler. That way, that student cohorts together with other middle school kids, and they will be able to be educated accordingly.”
Whartenby commended the two middle schools for assisting Harrison-Morton twice in just a few weeks.
However, the split will result in a transportation issue, he said.
The district will require another bus to send the students to South Mountain and Trexler, totaling four for the Harrison-Morton students.
Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority will help to accommodate the district, Whartenby said, though the trip to South Mountain may be longer and a bit more difficult for students.
For Friday, March 21, Harrison-Morton sixth-graders will use virtual education. All other students still will participate in in-person learning.
Harrison-Morton cleanup progress
Whartenby said Harrison-Morton has gotten the equivalent of a summer cleaning, with floors waxed, carpets cleaned and furniture wiped down and disinfected.
“We're doing a couple more things," he said. "We're going to also be putting in air purifiers in all the classrooms as well as offices, and then running a barrage of indoor air-quality testing.
"Again, just to have that confident feeling that the building can be reoccupied.”
Whartenby thanked officials across the district, at LANTA, and members of the community for assistance.
Superintendent Carol D. Birks said that on Monday, March 24, all students from Harrison-Morton would be back to in-person learning.
Executive Director of Instructional Leadership Arcelius Brickhouse provided further updates, saying a staff meeting had been held at St. Francis, with other members of Harrison-Morton attending virtually.
More meetings, and thanks
Brickhouse said another meeting is set for 5 p.m. Friday, March 21, at South Mountain Middle School for parents of students in the gold group.
And another meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. the same day at Trexler Middle School for parents of students in the purple group.
Parents will be able to view the school and ask questions of staff members, Brickhouse said.
“We just want to ensure that members of our learning community family, that you are safe to reoccupy the space."Allentown Schools Superintendent Carol Birks
Birks said renovations still are underway at Harrison-Morton, and that HEPA filters might be installed to ensure optimal air quality.
“We just want to ensure that members of our learning community family, that you are safe to reoccupy the space,” Birks said.
Board members thanked Birks, administrators and staff throughout the district, parents and students for weathering the recent events and keeping students on track.
“We are really coming together as a community on this matter, and rallying around each other and making sure that your students have what they need," school board President Andrene Brown-Nowell said.
"So thank you guys so much for all the work that you're doing.”
