OSTEGO, Mich. — Dix Street Elementary families worried about where their kids will go to school after a fire earlier this week displaced students and staff received good news from district officials Thursday.
Beginning next Wednesday, Sept. 30, Dix Street Elementary School students will temporarily relocate to Pine Trails Elementary in Allegan. The arrangement allows the entire school community to remain unified in a single building, a spokesperson for Ostego Public Schools said in a news release Thursday.
Watch TMJ4 News previous reporting on this fire in the video below:
"After considering many generous options from across our community, we arrived at the choice that keeps our Dix Street family together while providing the most consistent educational, behavioral, and logistical experience for our students,” said Ostego Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Christie Robinson.
Robinson noted the decision to relocate the whole school community to a different building instead of breaking everyone apart came after thoughtful consideration of what was best for the children.
She said district leadership evaluated many factors when selecting Pine Trails Elementary as the temporary location, including safety and security, transportation logistics, access to mental and behavioral health services, food service continuity, and the immediate viability of the instructional environment.
Robinson added restoration experts are actively working at Dix Street Elementary to conduct hygiene analyses, deep cleaning and repairs, and that the temporary move to Pine Trails “is expected to last for several months, with an exact timeline unknown.”
The superintendent said Ostego Public Schools will have increased counseling and social work staff on-site at Pine Trails as classes resume to support students affected by the fire.
"Our teachers and support staff have been working around the clock to provide the best possible return to learning,” Dr. Robinson added. "We are deeply grateful for the incredible grace, compassion, and support our community has shown as we navigate this transition together.”
A cause for the fire has not yet been released.
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