Fire-Damaged Garland School Reopens Tuesday
GARLAND (CBSDFW.COM) - Students throughout North Texas return to area classrooms tomorrow.
But a group of Garland middle schoolers head back to a campus trying to rebound from a massive fire that burned them out of the school in early December.
It was Webb Middle School, and it has taken a nearly $1 million effort to restore the school after fire and smoke damage spread through the school.
Now, its re-opening is almost complete.
Annette Barker is prepping for tomorrow, but can't forget what she and her students lost. "Just to see all the things that they made, and see it gone."
On December 6 fire burned through the sixth-grade wing of Webb. The severity of the smoke and water damage forced the closure of the school for the rest of the semester, keeping 1,300 students at home.
For the past month, every section of the building endured repair and restoration. "It was devastating. everything in my room was black and wet," says teacher Carmen Frazier, who along with seven other teachers, lost their classrooms. They have been moved to newly installed portable ones, and are set to reassure concerned kids.
"We'll be fine. We'll talk about what happened, and discuss about the rest of the year, and I'll do my best to make them feel comfortable, and not worry about anything."
The district received a waiver from the Texas Education Agency. The school days missed will not have to be added to the end of the school year.
