ONEIDA, N.Y. — The Oneida City School District has made a decision in where it will send its around 500 high school students this schoolyear.
On Friday afternoon, the district announced that the high school students will share the Otto Shortell Middle School building with the middle school students.
The district said the high school students will use the building in the first half of the day and the middle school students will use it during the second half of the day.
“We understand that this is a significant adjustment, and we want to assure our community that more specific details about schedules, transportation, and programming will be shared in the coming days,” Superintendent Matt Carpenter said in a letter sent to families.
Carpenter added, “We sincerely appreciate your continued patience, understanding and support as we navigate this challenging time together as a community.”
The Oneida City School District initially wanted to use the vacant Bishop Grimes Campus. However, the district decided not to pursue a lease for the building citing “unforeseen” circumstances. Those issues included problems with mechanical, heating, safety and network systems.
The district was exploring its options for weeks after floods in mid-June wreaked havoc on the high school. The building 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.
Carpenter said the district will continue to provide a “safe, supportive and high-quality” learning environment for its students.