“We were on the scene the night of the tornado, but I don’t think we realized the full damage until we got in Tuesday morning,” Brookville Schools Superintendent Tim Hopkins told News Center 7’s Kayla Courvell. “We could see that the entire roof was off.”
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A temporary roof is now on the building, but storms throughout last week caused significant damage to carpeting and technology.
Structurally, the building has remained in tact.
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“Structural engineers were in last Tuesday and walked through the building,” Hopkins said. “They felt like structurally it had held up pretty well.”
The process of getting a new roof has begun, but Hopkins is unsure if it will be ready for the start of next school year.
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“We’re looking at about an eight week process, and 10 weeks from yesterday our teachers have their first meeting,” he said. “We’re probably three or four weeks away from being able to make that decision as to whether we can start on time.”
If school is not able to start on time, Brookville Schools is considering back-up plans, but need a more concrete timeline in order to start making decisions.
Meanwhile, many students and community members have dedicated their time after the storm to help clean up Brookville High School’s grounds.
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“There’s been tremendous support,” Hopkins said. “This community has been amazing this week.”
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