Stonington’s Board of Education to decide what to do about cracks found in the second-story floor at the middle school.
“The structural engineer was very clear. It is safe. He’s just recommending to replace that slab,” Stonington Board of Education Chairman Farouk Rajab said.
The future of Stonington Middle School remains up in the air after engineers discovered cracks on part of the second-story floor back in April.
“I wasn’t surprised, but I know that Stonington is going to take care of their students,” Stonington mom Katie Quinlan said.
The Board of Education is now deciding whether the slab should be replaced this summer, and if the building as a whole should undergo a thorough structural evaluation.
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“We want to understand if there are other issues with the building that need to be looked at and repaired,” Rajab said.
The Board of Ed will hold a meeting to determine next steps on Wednesday night.
“To rush a job like this in the summer, it can be costly, and it can run over time, run after the opening of the school year,” Rajab said.
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Among the options, renovating Stonington Middle School or building a completely new school in its place.
“Of course, everybody would want a whole new middle school but that’s not something I feel like is going to be supported, and how long is that going to take?” Quinlan said.
Either option could temporarily relocate the 380 students to nearby Pawcatuck Middle School, which currently serves as administrative offices.
“It’s a great location, it’s a great school, but it’s also not up to date and it’s a tight squeeze for the amount of kids that are here, [Stonington Middle School] is the bigger school, so I don’t see us permanently locating there and it making everybody happy,” Quinlan said.
Wednesday’s meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the District's Office at Pawcatuck Middle School.
