A severe storm earlier this summer at Oneida High School in Oneida, New York, caused so much damage that the building will not be able to open for the 2025-26 academic year.
The Syracuse Post-Standard reports that the Oneida City School District is looking for a temporary site that can accommodate the high school's 500 students after officials determined that the extensive electrical and mechanical damage sustained by the building made the campus unsuitable for school.
A June 22 storm brought several inches of rain, backed up storm drains and flooded the lower levels of the school with up to 8 feet of water.
The school’s heating and electrical systems must be replaced. Superintendent Matthew Carpenter said some of the electrical components could take a year to arrive and be installed.
Carpenter said the district is considering its options for the coming school year. Administrators are looking at other spaces with the help of neighboring districts.
The district wants to avoid remote learning and keep the school’s 500 students together.
“We have to find a spot that will house not only the kids, but the staff, so that kids would remain being taught by our teachers,” Carpenter said.
Carpenter says school officials have been meeting with architects and engineers to figure out why the school flooded so badly and how to prevent it in the future.