Salem County Students In 'Substandard' Substitute School Could Be In Better Digs Soon
SALEM, NJ (CBS) -- Several hundred middle school students in Salem have had to attend classes in shabby conditions after the roof of their school collapsed last September.
Repairs are underway as state officials look for a better location for those classes come fall.
Most of the 400+ kids at Salem Middle School were sent to makeshift classrooms at Fenwick Plaza, where conditions have been labeled as substandard by New Jersey State Senate President Steve Sweeney.
"With these old buildings, you can't rush in," Sweeney told KYW Newsradio. "You have asbestos. You have a lot of things that you deal with. So it's taking a little longer than we would like."
In fact, repairs to the school building could go on another year, leading Sweeney to bring in the top man at the state's Schools Development Authority.
They took a look at the former Saint Mary's School in town, with hopes to sub-lease the building from its current tenants as soon as next month.
"We think it's important that, by September, we get the kids into an environment that is going to be much more conducive to getting them into a learning environment where they can flourish as students," agency CEO Charles McKenna said following the tour.
Consideration was given to utilizing trailers as classrooms, but when St. Mary's became available, the trailer idea was quickly abandoned.
As Sweeney said, St Mary's may be "an old school, but old schools work too."
