Jenkins Middle School students return to class at other schools after shutdown
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Students from Jenkins Middle School returned to class today. They’re being hosted by other D11 schools while officials look into safety concerns involving the structure of Jenkins Middle School.
“She was devastated because the last semester of 8th grade is so fun and you’re confident and comfortable – and she had three days to say goodbye to her middle school,” Katie Haas told KRDO about her daughter’s reaction to the shutdown.
“This wasn’t totally out of the blue but just the urgency and then how quickly the school had to be shut down, that was kind of surprising,” said Becky Giovagnoni, another parent.
It was just last week families found out Jenkins Middle School would close indefinitely “until fire protection and structural deficiencies are mitigated and resolved,” according to District 11.
We talked to some parents after the announcement who felt the whole ordeal was unfair.
But others, like Becky Giovagnoni, are looking at the bright side, saying the district did a phenomenal job welcoming their kids with a cheer line today.
“When we got there and saw the line of students at the door where the Jenkins kids were entering, it was just a very encouraging and uplifting environment and he was excited to go into school today," said Becky.
Haas told us the district has implemented a shuttle system from Jenkins to the other schools to make things easier for parents.
“Jenkins is like two minutes and Doherty is probably ten or eleven,” Katie explained why she used the shuttle Friday. “I also have never had a kid at Doherty yet so it’s a brand new thing so Jenkins just feels more familiar.”
We're told the district continues to troubleshoot, offering a Google form people can fill out with concerns and other ways to give feedback on the major changes.
When I actually saw the superintendent this morning after the drop off at Jenkins, he said ‘what didn’t go well today? We want to do it better,’” Katie explained.
"They’re not only being so supportive and encouraging, but they’re also having to transition their whole job,” said Becky about the teachers and staff from Jenkins.
“They’ve gone above and beyond trying to make this as peaceful as they can and really been a good example to our kids about what to do when hard things happen,” Katie agreed.
Right now, it’s unclear how long renovations will take at Jenkins Middle School and when students will be allowed back.
