School Officials Calm Parents' Fears About Roof Safety

About 20 parents aired their concerns regarding school roof safety Monday night, after Kelley Elementary School students were partially evacuated earlier that day.

School Superintendent Joseph V. Erardi Jr. said Kelley staff moved students into a different part of the building briefly after "popping" noises were heard within the school. The building was soon deemed safe and school continued without interruption, he said.

The "town meeting" was scheduled last Friday as a way to address the many concerns parents have been expressing recently about the safety of school roofs in lieu of record snowfall this month.

Many parents like Fiona McAllister wanted to know how much snow has been cleared from school roofs, and how the schools would handle clearing in months to come.

"My daughter is a first grader in Kelley school, so we wanted to come here and find out that the building is safe, and they will have the snow cleared," McAllister said.

Director of Operations Frederick Cox said Kelly School as much as 21 inches on its roof in certain areas, down to a foot high in other parts of the roof. No leaks have been found in any school building.

Erardi assured parents the roofs will be continually cleared, however he didn't say how many resources, or the amount of manpower it would take.

Erardi said he will post an update with more information this afternoon on the district's website, www.southingtonschools.org, and would have more formative plans after the school board meeting on Thursday.

"We're on the same page with this as you are," Erardi said. "We're trying to educate your child in a safe environment as possible, I want everyone leaving here feeling confident your voices have been heard and you didn't just waste 40 minutes of your time."

Although parents suggested organizing volunteers to clear some of the school roofs until more help can be hired, Board of Education Chairman Brian Goralski said he recently spoke with experts who warned against it. He said using shovels on rubber membrane roofing, which many school buildings have, damages roofs and can make them unsafe in the long run.

"One of the biggest concerns this engineer shared with me is that the biggest danger to reconstruction in the state of Connecticut is putting volunteers on the on the roofs for that reason," Goralski said. "It would be a short-sided approach, and I want to make sure our buildings stay safe now, tomorrow and the long-term future."

Goralski said the board would discuss the issue during Thursday's meeting and follow the advice of Erardi and the experts.