An ongoing heating, ventilation and air conditioning project at Charleston Elementary School will necessitate the temporary relocation of all students and staff to the former Charleston Upper Elementary School (CUES) campus, near Charleston Middle School (CMS), according to an announcement from the district.
East Tallahatchie School District Superintendent Marvell Hudson explained the disruption by saying that the HVAC work, which began last school year on all district campuses, "was stalled due to delayed shipment of electrical panels."
The district is utilizing $7.48 million in federal funds made available through the American Rescue Plan's Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) program on a multi-phase project to completely upgrade what had been a hodgepodge of aging climate control systems in use throughout the district.
Hudson said this is the final stage of Phase 1 for the elementary school campus.
"It required a concerted effort between the district, contractors and Entergy electric company," he noted. "Part of the installation required shutting the entire power down to the campus and upgrading from a Phase 1 electrical panel to a Phase 3 electrical panel."
During the week of Oct. 24-28, the elementary school's 311 students from pre-K through fourth grade, as well as 56 staff members, will convene school at both the former CUES building on the hill of the CMS campus, as well as in a building just below that facility to allow HVAC work at CES.
Hudson said "classes are expected to resume at their regular schedule" on Monday, Oct. 31, at the CES campus.
The full text of the "Charleston Elementary School Parent Announcement" is as follows:
"We are anticipating the completion of the HVAC system at Charleston Elementary School on Monday, October 24, 2022, through Friday, October 28, 2022. While the renovations and updates are being completed, we plan to temporarily relocate our students to the Charleston Middle School campus for instruction.
"If you need to contact teachers, administrators, or get transportation for your child(ren), you will be able to reach us with a temporary phone number. The phone number for CES for this period is (662) 288-2185. Please do not leave urgent transportation messages with the Charleston Middle School staff.
"Parents you can check your child(ren) in and check them out at the office on the hill. We cannot permit checkouts after 2:45 p.m. The secretary will be stationed on the Upper building of the campus with appropriate log book and a computer to access Sams Information System. Charleston Elementary School students cannot be checked in or out through the main office of Charleston Middle School.
"The teachers will use October 24th-28th as a regular instructional week. Students can expect to receive high quality instruction in all content areas. Parents, please ensure that students are completing the necessary classwork.
"Updates will be communicated through the following methods: district website, The Sun-Sentinel, CES Facebook page, parent letters, and One Call Now communication system. Also, please continue to use School Status as a communication channel. As always, we value your support and your feedback as we strive for excellence in the East Tallahatchie School District!"
