MRCS students being relocated to TMMS due to growing concerns about snowload on gymnasium roof
- Jasz Garrett
- 18 hours ago
- 2 min read
All Mendenhall River Community School students and staff are safe; school set to be closed at least through weekend while roof is shoveled
By Jasz Garrett
Juneau Independent
This is a developing story.
All Mendenhall River Community School students and staff are safe, and currently being transported by school bus with their class and teacher to Thunder Mountain Middle School after concerns grew about the snowload on the gymnasium's roof on Thursday afternoon.
Students can be picked up from TMMS after 1 p.m., according to a statement provided by the Juneau School District.
Engineers were on site Thursday morning at Mendenhall River Community School to conduct a walkthrough. The building was cleared for occupancy, and roof shoveling was scheduled to begin on Friday.
"However, the gym is constructed differently than the rest of the school building, and concerns are growing about the snow load on the roof in the gymnasium," a district release states. "During a second, later inspection, the recommendation was made to relocate students and staff to Thunder Mountain Middle School out of an abundance of caution."
To support the safe transfer of students to TMMS, no student will be released from MRCS, the district wrote.
"JSD has a procedure to account for students and monitor attendance in the event of a building closure," the release states. "In addition, traffic congestion in the MRCS drive may make the transfer of students difficult."
Parents are directed to the gym entrance facing the Dimond Park Aquatics Center for student pick up.
"Please be patient and be prepared to wait for your student," the district notes. "Parents/guardians/emergency contacts must show ID in order to pick up students. Staff will record the information to make sure all students are accounted for and students are released only to those individuals who have been identified as permitted to pick up students."
Lunch will be provided during this time and students who have not been picked up by 2:30 p.m. can take their regular school buses home.
Crews will start clearing snow on the roof of MRCS on Friday as planned, with the school remaining closed during this time due to falling snow and temporarily blocked exits.
During the closure, instruction will transition to remote learning. MRCS families and staff will be receiving additional information Thursday on schedules and how to access remote instruction.
"Crews will be working through the weekend clearing MRCS," the district notes in its statement. "We are hopeful that MRCS will open on Monday, but remote learning may need to be extended into next week if shoveling is not complete."
• Contact Jasz Garrett at jasz@juneauindependent.com or (907) 723-9356.
