News

November 2, 2009

WVW asks parents to pick up Main Street elementary students if possible

Mark Guydish

Wyoming Valley West School District Superintendent Chuck Suppon is asking that any parent of Main Street students able to pick up their children do so at the district high school gymnasium. A morning fire in a basement lavatory at Main Street in Plymouth prompted the district to move all students to the high school gymnasium, and the district does not expect to return students to the building today.

"We spoke to the fire Marshall and he is recommending we do not bring students back to the building today. Apparently there's a very pungent odor from the smoke and any student with asthma could run the risk of having an attack," Suppon said. "We are trying to get the word out right now that if parents can pick up their children they should do so, and if they do not pick up their children, they will be dismissed at the regular time."

Suppon said the district opted against early dismissal because there is a risk they would be sending students to empty homes. So the students will remain in the High School gym until the end of the school day. The high school is right behind Main Street Elementary, so there is no logistical challenge in re-routing school buses to pick up the elementary students, Suppon added.

The cause of the fire is unknown. "Currently there's an investigation to see if it was started by someone, or just something that occurred that ended up marking paper towels flammable or some such cause."

Suppon said it wasn't clear yet exactly when the fire started, but that it appeared to begin between 9:15 and 9:50 a.m. School started at 9 a.m.

Main Street houses about 400 students from Kindergarten through grade five.

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