Flooding shutters Nordale School for months

The start of the school year has been delayed for hundreds of students in Winnipeg thanks to mould and moisture-related damage

Two school divisions announced disruptions to their scheduled programming this week owing to building safety.

“It’s not the start of the school year that anybody hopes for,” said Jackie Connell, superintendent of the Louis Riel School Division.

Nordale School is anticipated to be closed for four months as crews clean up “substantial” destruction from a storm on the long weekend, Connell said.

Roughly 200 students have been displaced from their kindergarten-to-Grade 8 classrooms in Norwood Flats as a result.

Their first day, which will take place at different nearby sites, has been pushed back until Monday.

Staff at Nordale, built in 1949, have reported minor moisture problems in the past.

Nordale is grappling with the fallout of a sewage backup related to last weekend’s storm, Connell said.

The Louis Riel superintendent observed water “in almost all places” when she toured the school on Labour Day.

The gymnasium floor, wooden book shelves and teaching material are among the things that need to be replaced, she said, adding she’s grateful for both staff and families’ patience and flexibility as everything gets sorted.

For the time being, Grade 7 and 8 students are relocating to Nelson McIntyre Collegiate, which is within walking distance to their home school.

Younger students are being bused to Shamrock School indefinitely.

In the Winnipeg School Division, nearly 700 students have been invited back to their building after a brief closure.

École Stanley Knowles School in Tyndall Park postponed its opening after mould was discovered by teachers setting up their classrooms at the end of August.

Superintendent Matt Henderson penned a letter to families on Sept. 3 to inform them classes would begin a day later than scheduled because of an HVAC malfunction.

Three teachers contacted the Free Press to report staff were misled about the extent of cleaning and air testing done, and white and green fuzz, as well as significant dust, was found Thursday.

“Multiple teachers were complaining about headaches and feeling stuffed up,” said one of the teachers who spent Tuesday and Wednesday preparing with colleagues offsite.

Senior administration confirmed there were reports of “surface mould” Thursday so two classes were relocated but no children were exposed to the spaces.

Henderson said the division has followed the advice of third-party environmental consultants and its internal workplace health and safety team.

Air-quality testing deemed the building safe on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, he said, adding that one room had “slightly elevated results” on Friday so it was re-cleaned and retested.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca