ONEIDA, N.Y. — The Oneida City School District has decided to pursue a lease of the recently vacant Bishop Grimes Campus.
The district said it will relocate its around 500 high school students and staff to the location for all of this upcoming school year. Another option was to relocate to the Rome Catholic Schools.
“While we acknowledge that this decision presents its own set of challenges, we are not able to move forward with a clear plan goal securing a new location that meets our needs,” a letter from Superintendent Matthew Carpenter said.
Oneida High School was severely damaged by flood waters during a storm that rolled through the city in mid-June. That storm wreaked havoc on the building. It took in 7 feet of water, dirtying its walls and floors and taking out its electrical systems.
The flooding forced the district to turn the high school gym into a storage room for damaged items. The final five days of classes were lost due to the flooding.
District officials warned that it would be a long time before the high school could be repaired for students to return to it.
The Bishop Grimes Campus was vacated at the end of this school year. In February, the district announced that it would merge with Bishop Ludden Junior & Senior High School after teaching students for more than 50 years.
The school said the reason for the merger was declining enrollment.
Superintendent Carpenter said more information about the plans for Oneida High School students will come within weeks.
“Your patience and understanding as we finalize the logistics are greatly appreciated,” Carpenter said.