East Brainerd Elementary students won’t be returning to their tornado-ravaged school building this August – instead, they’re going to middle school.
While the school building on Goodwin Road is repaired, East Brainerd students and teachers will be housed at the new East Hamilton Middle School, district officials decided this week.
Other options considered included retrofitting a warehouse, using the former elementary school building or rezoning students to surrounding elementary schools temporarily.
“There are going to be some hardships coming back, but it keeps those 1,200 elementary kids together in the same building,” the district’s Chief Operations Officer Justin Robertson told the Times Free Press. “We’ve been dealt a hand that was really difficult, and we’re trying to do the best we can for everyone involved. This is what we feel is the best option for students at East Brainerd.”
The school was severely damaged by an EF3 tornado that struck Chattanooga on Easter Sunday, and initial estimates to repair it are at least $18 million. At least 21 classrooms were completely destroyed, and other areas of the school were damaged.