Rawlins County children charged with terrorism in school fire
9 August 2023
ATWOOD, Kan. (KSNW) — After a fire heavily damaged the Rawlins County Junior-Senior High School in June, parents and students knew things would change. It has taken some time, but the district has a tentative plan for handling the new school year.
Eric Stoddard, USD 105 superintendent, posted an update about the fire and the plans on the district’s Facebook page.
“We’ve had a, really a tragedy in our community,” he said.
Later start date
The first thing parents and students need to know is that the start of school has been moved to Friday, Aug. 25. It was supposed to be Aug. 22, but the district wants teachers to have time to prepare their new locations.
The schools will have regular start times, but the busing and release times are still being worked out.
Temporary classrooms
USD 105 has contracted with a Wichita company to provide modular classrooms for the junior-senior high school, but the classrooms will not be installed until mid-September at the earliest.
The modular rooms will be placed northeast of the football field. There will be an eight-classroom building, a four-classroom building, two double-classroom buildings, an office area, and a locker room. All the buildings will be connected by decking.
(Courtesy USD 105-Rawlins County Public Schools)
Stoddard said the district may have to use the modular units for up to four years.
“This isn’t something that’s going to go away anytime soon,” he said.
In the meantime
Because the modular units are not in place yet, the district says most junior-senior high school classes will be held at Atwood United Methodist Church, directly east of Rawlins County Elementary School.
The computer lab, iCAN, and possibly art will be in the elementary school, which has internet service. Music and band will also be in the elementary school.
The classrooms will be basic, with whiteboards, folding tables and chairs. The district has ordered curriculum materials to replace what was destroyed.
The district plans to use the Vo-Ag building for the same things it normally uses it for, like industrial technology and FFA. But it has also moved the wrestling room to Vo-Ag, so that is where PE classes will be. There will be busing each hour between Vo-Ag and the church and elementary school.
Lunch will be at the elementary school.
Stoddard said parking might be an issue. He provided a map that shows possible parking spots highlighted in yellow.
(Courtesy USD 105-Rawlins County Public Schools)
He also said they would probably encourage students to share rides.
Activities
Stoddard says the football schedule should remain normal, but there will be some minor changes at the games. He said they need to find a new power source for the press box. They also need portable restrooms and locker room space.
Volleyball practice and home matches will be in the elementary school gym.
Some games may be at Colby Events Center. A schedule should be released soon.
Stoddard said the commons area will not be ready for at least the first two weeks of games. He said that will also mean limited concessions.
Resilience
The superintendent said this school year will teach students resilience and how to find opportunities in every difficulty.
He looks forward to the first day of school and hopes the students are, too.
“We want our kids together. We want our staff together working with our kids,” Stoddard said. “So that’s a huge part of that. We don’t want to lose kids to other districts just in having an unknown.”
Update on the damage
The worst fire damage is in the north part of the junior-senior high school. The north end, built in 1925, housed classrooms, offices, the cafeteria, the art room, and the boiler.
“The north end of the building right now is not safe,” Stoddard said. “It’s not safe to go into for anyone but our contractors.”
The district does not know how much it will cost to repair or how long it will take.
Stoddard said the damage to the middle part of the building and the commons area is not as bad, but there are still obstacles to using them.
The middle part, built in the 1950s, houses the main gym, locker rooms and more classrooms. Unfortunately, the mechanical system for this area goes through the north section of the building. But Stoddard hopes that they will be able to start using this area sometime in the second semester.
Cleaning crews are still working in the commons area. When they finish, the district will have a better idea of the scale of what needs to be done there. However, Stoddard hopes the district will be able to use it starting sometime in September.
Questions
Stoddard encouraged parents and students with questions to call him at 785-626-3236 or email him at [email protected].