PT to ask for waiver from state
McMURRAY – Peters Township School District is expected to ask the state Board of Education for a waiver so the three days of school missed by McMurray Elementary students this week will not have to be made up.
“We don’t have a definitive plan for the makeup yet,” said Shelly Belcher, a district spokeswoman, in an email. “I believe we will be applying for a waiver from the state.”
Parents will be notified if makeup days are scheduled, she said. Teachers returned to work Wednesday, and students returned to class Thursday. By state law, students need to get 180 days of instruction by June 30.
A water leak on the third floor caused McMurray Elementary, which has more than 900 students and been recently renovated, to close Oct. 3 through Oct. 5. The district said the leak caused significant damage to classrooms on all three floors in the rear of the building.
“It’s unrelated to the construction,” Belcher said. “A pipe under a classroom sink on the third floor started to leak some time over the weekend. There are no activities at the elementary schools over the weekend, so we do not have custodians on duty. The water was found Monday morning when a custodian reported to work just after 6 a.m.”
Several classrooms experienced minor issues, while two have significant issues, she said. It is not known how long the repairs will take.
Because of the damage caused by the leak, two homerooms have been relocated, Belcher said. Also, school lunch will be available for purchase, but students will have to eat on the gym side of the multipurpose room because of work being done on the cafeteria side.