Camden, New Jersey, charter school asks for community's help with last-minute move after flooding
The upcoming school year is still weeks away for many districts, but the first day of classes has already been delayed for a charter school in Camden, New Jersey.
In the middle of summer, teachers and staff members at Hope Community Charter School are trying to salvage supplies and items in their classrooms after heavy rain flooded the basement of their building last month.
"There's just a lot of damage, and right now we can't have students in the school," said Leagh Johnson.
"There was water about two feet up the walls. Everything was wet; the walls were ruined," said Audrey Szabo.
Four classrooms bore the brunt of the damage. Windows are still bowed, drywall has been ripped down, and mold is growing inside the music room.
"So, at this point in time we are scrambling. We are a very small school, and our funds are limited," said Jennifer Smith, the school's principal.
Smith says the building has been ruled unusable, and the start of school has been pushed back two weeks to Sept. 14.
Smith has helped secure classroom space and a new lease at Holy Name Parish in Camden, but it's a race against the clock with her small staff.
"We have to be packed and ready to move in two weeks," Smith said.
"We will do the best we can like we always do, and hope for the best. It's going to be a lot of extra hours for a lot of us," Szabo said.
The move impacts more than 110 students in grades K-8, and the teachers are now asking for help to get everything done in time. They need volunteers willing to help them pack, load and unload over the next few weeks.
"We need a truck, a trailer, whatever you have because right now all we have is our SUVs, some boxes and some tape," Johnson said.
The teachers fear if they can't get everything moved in time, the start of the school year may need to be pushed back again.
If you would like to help, you can contact the school at 856-379-3448 or email Leah Johnson at johnson@hopecommunitycharter.org.
