OKMULGEE, Okla. — Okmulgee high schoolers are finally back in the classroom.
They were originally slated to go back Aug. 14, but were moved to the Center for Aerospace and Advanced Technologies Building (CAAT Building) due to structural issues at the old high school's main building.
Local News
NEW FIRST DAY: Okmulgee High School students now start school Aug. 19
The last-minute move delayed high school students from starting class by three days.
Superintendent LuVona Copeland said she's working on having a company stop by the building to find out what’s going on.
“What they will do is they will go in and they will look at everything," she said. "They will tell us exactly what needs to be done, and then they will give us an estimate on the cost of that.”
Last week, she said there were some changes in the brick on the south end of the old building that warranted a little bit of further inspection.
She said this was the ultimate cause of the big move to the CAAT Building.
In terms of having the company come out, she's still unsure.
“I don't have a date, but we have a company coming in to look at everything," she said. "But I do not have any updates on that.”
She says the damage was found on the southwest corner of the building between the second and third floor.
Still, she said the main priority is making sure kids have a good school year.
To help with this, the school will still be holding some activities on the old campus, away from the main building.
“Our band building is at the old campus, our alternative school is in a building at the old campus and our Ag campus is Just a block or two away from our campus," said Copeland. "So yes, we will be transporting children to those and then, of course, all of our athletic facilities."
At the end of the day, Copeland said she wants students to learn and have fun safely.
“I hope they feel that they feel supported, and I hope they learn," she said. "That's what our business is, and so we just want to get them in seats and get them learning and having their high school experience be the best it can possibly be.”
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