Salmon River Central School District and Unified Incident Command Make Decision to Reopen St. Regis Mohawk Elementary School on March 5, 2018
Mar 2, 2018
AKWESASNE, NY — Salmon River Central School District and the Unified Incident Command have made the decision to reopen the St. Regis Mohawk Elementary School on Monday, March 5, 2018.
“Upon evaluation of the river and current location of ice packs, the Unified Incident Command has advised school officials that students and staff may safely return to the St. Regis Mohawk School on Monday,” said A/Emergency Planning Program Manager Derek Comins.
On Friday, March 2, 2018, representatives from SRCSD and Unified Command met to assess the situation at the St. Regis Mohawk Elementary School and work together to reach a mutual decision regarding reopening the school. In attendance were: Superintendent Dr. Harper, Assistant Superintendent Angie Robert, SRCSD Director or Buildings and Grounds Ryan Adams, St. Regis Mohawk Elementary School Principal Kevin Walbridge, Assistant SRME Principal Allison Benedict, Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Chief of Police Matthew Rourke, Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe A/Emergency Planning Coordinator Derek Comins, and Issac Mcdonald, 3rd Assistant Chief for the Hogansburg-Akwesasne Volunteer Fire Department (HAVFD).
The District and the Unified Command wish to remind the public that at no time during the flooding of the road and area surrounding the school did water enter the building or playground. The ice pack that had been situated across the street from the school earlier this week has since moved downstream, and all parties agreed that the area surrounding the school was unlikely to flood again next week. The Unified Command and Salmon River Central School District will continue to work closely together to monitor the situation, and will notify the public of any changes.
“We are grateful for the collegiality and cooperation between our partners, and for the dedication to safety for our students, staff, and community,” said SRCSD Superintendent Dr. Stanley Harper. “We are pleased to return St. Regis Mohawk Elementary School students and staff to their classrooms safely.”
For more information visit http://www.srk12.org.
###
About Salmon River Central School District:
The Salmon River Central School District serves approximately 1,600 students in Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade. It is a small rural school district located in the northernmost reaches of New York State. Nestled in the foothills of the Adirondacks, and on the shore of the Saint Lawrence, the district serves students from the towns of Fort Covington, Bombay, Brasher, Bangor and Westville, as well as from the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation. The Salmon River Central School District values academic achievement, cultural diversity, and celebrates individuality within a safe, supportive learning environment.
#####
Media Contacts:
Rebekah Grim
Manager of Communications and Print Services
St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES
40 West Main Street
Canton, New York 13617
rebekah.grim@sllboces.org
315.386.4504 x 15108
Brendan F. White
Director of Communications
Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe
412 State Route 37
Akwesasne, NY 13655
brendan.white@srmt-nsn.gov
518.358.2272 ext. 2286