SAND SPRINGS, Okla. — One of the last districts to return to school is Sand Springs, but that extra time was needed as some of the district is still recovering from the Father's Day storm.
Angus Valley Elementary School was one of the hardest hit areas in Sand Springs when that storm rolled through.
The good news is that the school is repaired and ready for the first day.
“It’s been busy. There’s no doubt that was a little bit of a setback,” said Sherry Durkee the Sand Springs Public Schools Superintendent.
The district hasn’t had much of a relaxing summer break as contractors, students and staff spent much of the time cleaning up debris and making repairs to Angus Elementary, the sports complex and the fine arts facility.
Even with how hard crews have been working, Superintendent Durkee estimates repairs are about 60% complete.
“It’s a process. You know it requires contacting insurance and them sending an adjuster out and really capturing the details of the damage and us doing our own assessments," she said. "So it’s not a quick turnaround when you have damage that’s that severe.”
Durkee said Angus is completely repaired for the start of the new school year, and the sports complex is well on its way to recovery.
- Previous coverage >>> Sand Springs Schools hammered by Father's Day storm
“We had a huge light down at the baseball field, lots of wind damage on the fence. We’ve repaired softball enough to get going with the season,” she explained.
On the other hand, the fine arts facility is the biggest hold up, with it being the hardest it and dealing with supply chain issues slowing down repairs.
Durkee explained that the Father’s Day storm caused a power outage, and when the power came back on, a hard-wired urinal flooded the building.
With carpet on backorder, she said the plan is for the first floor of the building to reopen before the 2nd floor. She hopes that will happen by mid-September, but for now, they’re using the high school auditorium to hold some classes.
Speaking of classes, Durkee shared the district is fully staffed with teachers and support personnel.
“I take the time to meet with every certified teacher that’s new to our district each year and the energy and excitement I’m proud of every single one of them. I think we’ve done a great job getting some great people,” she said.
To keep everyone safe at school, the Superintendent noted every district facility now has new, upgraded security cameras.
This will help them get a clearer picture of what’s happening on campus.
Plus, the district added one new school resource officer bringing their total to three. Two of the resource officers are from the Sand Springs Police Department and one is with the district.
Another positive Durkee is excited to share is that all district administrators are now under one roof.
“Patrons can find all things central office services in one place. So that’s cool," Durkee said. "We have not had that since I’ve been around this district so for 25 years and before.”
So having the enrollment center, finances, superintendent, communications, and so much more in one building makes everything a one-stop shop.
While the storm was a setback for the district and one they are still bouncing back from, Durkee told 2 News the fact that they are fully staffed, have new security features, and can easily work together as a district under one roof makes her excited and energized for the start of the year.
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