Flomaton's old middle school building is not safe for students; students are being relocated; alternative school to Atmore
Brown, center, helps load items into the alternative school
With school bells set to ring next week, teachers, employees and administrators in Flomaton have been scrambling after learning last week that the old Flomaton Middle School building had to be evacuated due to faults in the roof, prompting the Escambia County (Ala.) Board of Education Monday afternoon to approve a resolution declaring a state of emergency at Flomaton High School due to roof damage discovered on July 25, 2024.
Flomaton High School Principal Mark Harbison said he learned about 10:30 a.m. this past Thursday that the grades six through eight building would be shutdown. Plans were then put into motion to find space for the nearly 200 students.
Harbison said the plan includes moving the alternative school to Atmore and utilizing that building on the Flomaton campus. He also said the old agriculture and aqua buildings next to the alternative school will be turned into classrooms. He added two labs in the main high school building will also be used.
Teachers were scheduled to report to school today (Thursday, Aug. 1) and the students' first day will be Tuesday, Aug. 6.
The alternative school students will be moved to Escambia County Middle School in Atmore. Superintendent Michele Collier said a wing at ECMS will be used as an alternative school for students in grades six through 12. She added that the school system has added an alternative school for kindergarten through fifth grade on the same wing.
Collier said the K-5 program is designed to provide early intervention with behavioral problems with positive reinforcement.
Harbison said once it was learned last week that the old middle school building had to be evacuated workers were inside the alternative school over the weekend putting up walls. Workers were also busy pulling items out of the alternative school to go to Atmore while teachers were moving the sixth through eighth materials to other locations on the Flomaton campus.
Deputy of Operations Shaun Goolsby said the school system is working to have the problems at the old middle school building declared a disaster which would enable repair work to begin immediately. He also said he expects students to be able to return to that building before the end of the school year.
"At Flomaton Middle School, the teachers have been temporarily relocated," Goolsby told the board Monday. "Everybody's been working around the clock to get that taken care of. There's been a lot done since Thursday to make things keep running the best they can."
Board member Cindy Jackson made a motion to approve the resolution that will allow Superintendent Michele Collier to work with and sign the agreement with Ward Scott to get an estimate for the repairs and start the process for bidding. Board member Sherry Digmon seconded the motion and it carried. Board members Mike Edwards and Kevin Hoomes were not present..
