Restoration delays force phased reopening at Titchfield High School
PORTLAND, Jamaica — Students at Titchfield High School in Port Antonio began the new school year on Monday amidst ongoing repair work at the institution.
A site visit revealed that, two months after Hurricane Beryl damaged sections of the school, several buildings remain without roofs and are therefore inaccessible to students as classes resume. Footage captured by Observer Online showed that at least one of the damaged buildings had a temporary roof made of tarpaulins, while another was in the process of being re-roofed. Plyboards were strewn across the school’s lawns as workmen were visibly engaged in restoration efforts.
Observer Online understands that work is also being conducted on several classrooms across all grades except Grade Nine. Due to the extent of the damage, Acting Principal Sheryl Horne-Mair said the school will have to implement a phased reopening.
“We are short of twenty-one classrooms, so we have to decide which students to come in strategically. Our grades seven and eleven will come in every day for the week but we will rotate the others,” she explained. “Our grades seven and eight, ten and eleven are impacted and only our grade nines are not from Beryl.”
She further noted that, according to the project manager overseeing the restoration work, normal operations at the school may not resume for another two weeks.
“Based on what I see, it may not be for Monday. So we may have to send out another set of schedules for next week. There may be a possibility of a two-week stagger based on what is happening,” she said.