The new school year is just starting for many North Texans, but students at an Arlington elementary school are learning in the middle of a construction zone.
Work on Eddy & Debbie Peach Elementary School was scheduled to be done before classes started Monday. Concerned parents sent photos from inside the school to NBC 5 showing rooms that still have concrete floors, unfinished drywall and open ceiling panels.
Arlington Independent School District officials sent a letter to parents stating that heavy spring rain and construction back-ups across the area delayed the work.
“There are still some construction items that need to be finished in the rest of the building, like metal panels on the front of the building, the library, landscaping and the playground,” district Director of Communications Leslie Johnson said in a statement.
As a result, a wing of the school will be closed and the district will bus fifth and sixth graders to Turning Point Junior High School for the next six weeks.
“Some finishing touches are taking place in classrooms," Johnson continued. "Not every classroom has its shelving installed. There is also some trim work, final coats of paint and flooring that are being completed in some of the classrooms on the evenings and weekends.”
District officials said safety is the main concern. They'll keep on-duty firefighters inside until construction is complete and no construction workers will be working when students are present.
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The new school was built to alleviate overcrowding in the area and the district says Peach Elementary will be state of the art when completed.
Online: Arlington ISD Letter on Peach Elementary Construction (PDF)
