Chelsea High School welcomed back its student body on Wednesday morning, January 4, following an extended break caused by a fly infestation that cut short the fall session. The return proceeded without any reported complications.
Superintendent Mary Bourque had previously assured the community that the facility would be prepared for reopening. She confirmed this promise through a letter distributed Tuesday evening to parents and staff members, announcing that classes would resume as planned.
In her correspondence, Bourque stated: “I am happy to report that our construction activities to repair two collapsed pipes located under Chelsea High School were completed as of December 28 and the school will re-open as scheduled, tomorrow, Wednesday, January 4, 2017. All three floors of the school have been thoroughly cleaned prior to school opening, tomorrow. As previously reported, after a complete video inspection of the school’s drainage system, four pipes were found to have collapsed or had separated from the plumbing system due to corrosion. Two of the drain pipes have been taken out of service and have been capped. The two remaining collapsed pipes were replaced.”
According to Bourque, the insects have a roughly two-week lifecycle, meaning some stragglers might persist despite the infestation being resolved. The cleaning effort relied on sticky paper and electric “zappers.”
Now, however, the most pressing matter is figuring out how to make up the seven days that students missed before Winter Break.
“Chelsea High School students and staff will need to make up the missed days and missed time on learning,” she wrote, rather than chemical treatments. “fblikebutton_button” Regarding missed instructional time, Bourque noted: “A schedule for making up the days is tentatively set for later in June. These days will be finalized after the snow season.”
By Seth Daniel