After fire, Newark High School classes go remote for rest of week

NEWARK ― Newark City Schools has announced that classes at the high school will be remote for the remainder of the week, starting Wednesday, after a small fire on Saturday afternoon in a classroom in the building's math wing.

A message sent to parents on Tuesday said an air quality test is being conducted by an industrial hygienist this afternoon, concentrating on the F wing where the fire occurred, as well as wings D and E where there was smoke. Ceiling tiles are being checked for odor and damage, and all HVAC filters are being changed.

The district is also working with Belfor Property Restoration, a professional cleaning company, to continue cleaning and assessing those areas to ensure student and staff safety before resuming in-person classes. This includes all surfaces and the HVAC systems. They will make a determination about next week by midday on Friday, hoping to resume normal school operations as quickly as possible.

Teachers will be posting assignments on Google Classroom by 7:30 a.m. this Wednesday, for students to be able to work on. Teachers will also be monitoring email and Google Classroom during the school day if students have questions.

Classes will follow their normal bell schedules on Thursday and Friday via Zoom. Zoom codes will be posted in Google Classrooms. 2022-2023 Bell Schedule

The Commons, K building, gym and Hub will remain open. The remainder of the building is currently off limits. If students need to pick up any devices, they can visit the school office during normal hours.

Breakfast and lunch will be available for students over the next three days to pick up between 8 a.m. and noon from the Commons area.

On Sunday, the district canceled Monday and Tuesday classes. The fire was contained to one classroom and is believed to have been the result of an electrical issue. There is also smoke and water damage in other areas of the F wing. The district said there was no damage to other wings of the building's campus.

ACT testing has been rescheduled for March 14.

The fire on Saturday caused a slight delay in the Division I sectional wrestling meet that was taking place in the high school gymnasium. The school's gym is located in a different part of the high school's campus. No students, staff or visitors were injured or impacted by the fire.

dweidig@gannett.com

740-704-7973

Twitter: @grover5675

Instagram: @dfweidig

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: After fire, Newark High School classes go remote for rest of week