Fiona's effect on Island schools expected to linger into new year
Some schools on P.E.I. are still dealing with damages from post-tropical storm Fiona.
Roofs of schools were hit the hardest, leading to extensive damage inside several buildings.
The roof has been repaired at Queen Charlotte Intermediate in Charlottetown, but students still can't use some parts of the school. They're being bussed to a community centre for gym classes, and their music and industrial arts classes have been relocated to other classrooms.
Norbert Carpenter, executive director of the Public Schools Branch, said the school's new gym floor is almost complete and the damaged content has been catalogued.
"We're working with risk management at this point," he said.
Gym classes at Queen Charlotte Intermediate in Charlottetown are being held at a local community centre. (Laura Meader/CBC)
Representatives from the Public School Branch and the French school board appeared before a legislative committee Tuesday.
The Public Schools Branch hopes to have repairs at all schools finished when students return to classrooms after the Christmas break.
Several Island schools were closed longer after the storm not because of damage to the school, but because the streets were considered unsafe.
"I'll be honest we were frustrated, we felt we were making progress, but understood fully the safety hazards," Carpenter said.
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'Trauma-like experience'
The French school board superintendent Gilles Arsenault said it was emotional for staff and families seeing the damage at École Évangéline.
"For some people it was like a trauma-like experience so we did put in place supports to help people that were in our school community."
Students and staff are now at the grounds of the Acadian festival. The board hopes to be able to move back into one part of the school by the end of January.
Some teachers lost lesson plans they've been using for years, Arsenault said.
Community spaces and administrative offices were also lost.
This article was originally published for CBC News. Contains files from Laura Meader.
