Broward schools reopen after assessment, clean up, and repairs
FORT LAUDERDALE - It was back to class Monday morning for Broward public school students.
The district closed the schools on Thursday and Friday after historic rain caused flooding on some campuses and damaged several buildings. Damage assessments were performed and crews worked over the weekend to get schools ready for Monday.
Parents dropping off their children said they were relieved that the schools reopened.
"Oh, I was so happy. I'm so glad that they were able to come to school today. That's a blessing," said Florence Louis XVI. "I had to stay home with my kids, I couldn't go to work for two days. I have a three-year-old I can't leave and there's no daycare open. It was so hard."
The district said it's been a process to get the buildings ready.
"Our recovery team has been on the ground since the rain stopped on Thursday. They've been working hard throughout the weekend to get our schools ready and make sure they're safe for our students and staff," Broward Public Schools chief communication officer John Sullivan.
A total of nine schools in Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood suffered significant damage.
Sullivan said district staff worked overtime to make sure there were no major safety issues before opening campuses.
"Our principals and school administrators walked the campuses yesterday. Our custodial staff showed up two hours before school started today," he said.
Some students won't be allowed in their normal classrooms until they can be fixed, work the district doesn't expect to be cheap.
"Our initial assessment in terms of a dollar amount is about $8 million, but we do expect that number to grow," said Sullivan.
Despite the issues, working parents said they are happy their students are back in the classroom.
"I feel so relieved today, I can drop them at school, all of them are at school right now, so I'm going back to work right now," said Louis.
The district said they are in contact with the state about the missed days. They've requested that make-up days be waived. So far, no word on that decision.