Ferrucci Junior High School staff haven’t been able to enter the school a week and a half after the fire. A recent addition was “significantly compromised.”
PUYALLUP, Wash. — A junior high school campus in Puyallup will be closed for several weeks after a fire damaged the building earlier this month.
Fire broke out in the electrical room of a new addition at Ferrucci Junior High School on April 4, and the school has remained closed due to damage and safety requirements.
The Puyallup School District said Tuesday classes will be canceled April 16 and 17 with a temporary instructional plan in place from April 20-May 1. Seventh- and eighth-graders will have remote instruction, and ninth-graders will have in-person classes at the campus for Emerald Ridge High School and Glacier View Junior High School.
The district plans to submit an emergency waiver to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction for the additional closure days. The school previously canceled classes April 13-15 and planned to host make-up days May 22, June 17, and June 18.
Ferrucci Junior High School was on spring break April 6-10.
A week and a half after the fire, district staff and restoration crews haven’t been able to enter Ferrucci Junior High School. The district is still waiting on air quality results, and the fire investigation determined full personal protective equipment was required to safely enter the school.
A post-incident environmental study will also be required to see if there are surface contamination or air quality concerns beyond the immediate area where the fire broke out. The fire was contained to that area but the district said there is extensive fire and water damage throughout the building. The new addition and all classrooms on the main floor were “significantly compromised,” the district said.
The expansion, which opened in 2022, added about 21,700 square feet of space through two additions that added 10 classrooms, expanded office and commons space and removed portables. It was funded through state match funds generated from a 2015 bond measure.
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