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Why classes at Stafford High School could be delayed

Classes at the new Stafford High School could be delayed at least a week.

County officials did not issue the school division a temporary occupancy permit. That is keeping teachers and administrators out of the new $66.6 million school slated to open this year.

“The contractor did not complete the work as needed to open the school safely, so the county government did not issue the temporary occupancy permit,” said Stafford County spokeswoman Shannon Howell.

School division officials had hoped to be in the new building in May. As the start of the new school year in Stafford County approaches on September 8, the school’s contractor Hess Construction is being fined $5,000 per day until the work is finished.

“If by Thursday we don’t have an occupancy permit, then we will make a decision and announce the decision to, perhaps, delay school for students a week, perhaps more,” said Stafford public schools spokeswoman Valerie Cottongim.

Weather, and “self-inflicted” delays brought on by changes requested by the county school division and approved by the school board prompted the possible late opening of the new building, added Cottongim. The contractor is working hand-in-hand with the he school system to complete the school as soon as possible, she added.

The new school sits next to the old Stafford Senior High School build in the early 1970s. It opened under the short-lived notion of “open” classrooms, where students could collaborate with each other. Gar-Field and Woodbridge senior high schools in Woodbridge opened about the same time, under the same notion.

“That concept went out very quickly. We’ve made some innovations to the building over the years, but it made for some pretty choppy classrooms,” said Cottongim.

Student athletes are still using the old Stafford Senior High School’s gym, fields, and locker rooms to practice for fall sports. Students won’t be able to return to classes in the old building because much of the furniture, to include auditorium chairs and gym bleachers, were moved to the new school to be reused there.

The new Stafford High School is modeled after Mountain View and Colonial Forge high schools in Stafford County. The new school’s three-stroy academic wing is larger than both predecessors by one floor.
When the new school opens, it will have 21st-century amenities to include a lunch counter that will allow students to plug in their personal computing devices to work on assignments while at lunch. The old school will be demolished to make way for new parking lots and sports fields.

Cottongim posted these tentative dates for teachers, parents, and students leading up to the opening of the new school:

Division staff, with contract support, will continue moving operations of items from the existing school through the week of August 24.

SHS administrative staff equipment and materials are now scheduled to be moved into the new building on Saturday Aug 29, 2015. This is a change from moving them the weekend of August 22. Technical (computers/copiers/phones etc.) set up of the school front office and administration will be done on Sunday Aug 30, 2015.

Teachers will be invited into the new school to start unpacking their boxed materials and setting up classrooms on Monday August 31 (if able, we will attempt to allow teachers into the new school on Sunday August 30). Division staff will have support teams in the areas of the school that have been granted a temporary occupancy starting the weekend of August 29, 2015 to assist administration, teachers and staff in preparing the school and assisting with the move in, unpacking and set up of classrooms and other spaces.

New temporary access roads and new on-site transportation patterns will also go into effect on Saturday August 29, 2015. Although the temporary access road is open and the barricades for walking traffic are in place, the transportation patterns will not change until the move of the administrative offices on August 30th.

The Marching Band now is scheduled to move their equipment and materials into the new space the weekend of Labor Day, September 5 – 7. Fall athletic programs currently operating out of the existing SHS will also be moved the weekend of September 5 – 7, 2015. If staff is able to accelerate the move to an earlier date, it will be done and information on any changes will be sent out to the community via e-mail, Blackboard connect and websites.

The Freshman Orientation scheduled for Friday, August 28th, will now be held on Thursday, September 3, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Open House will be held on September 3, with Seniors and Juniors arriving from 4:30 to 6 p.m. and with Sophomores and Freshmen arriving from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Both of these events on September 3 will be dependent upon access to the spaces within the school.

Central Office and Stafford High School Staff are working together to develop a contingency instructional plan for a potential delayed opening of Stafford High School (the delay could be up to a week with school opening for students on September 14) if the general contractor fails to meet the requirements for temporary occupancy of all or key areas of the building. Staff will evaluate the general contractor’s status with respect to temporary occupancy at close of business on Thursday August 27, 2015.

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