Mohawk school students to stay put until new school year

With many complications and obstacles to overcome, the administration at the St. Regis Mohawk School and Salmon River Central now plans to keep the uprooted SRMS students at the Salmon River campus until the new school year begins in September.

St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Sub-Chief Stacy Adams, who is also a member of the Salmon River Board of Education, announced the update at Saturday’s tribal meeting.

Two emergencies in December have delayed the abatement and reconstruction at the SRMS and since the massive project isn’t expected to be complete until late spring, the school board has decided that the students will remain at Salmon River.

However, if the project continues forward without further complications, the school will be ready for the students return in September.

The school’s string of bad luck begin during the first week of the 2008-2009 school year when mold was discovered in one of the lower wings. A plan was put into place to remove the mold and also remove decades-old asbestos as a precaution.

The damaged wing was closed off, students were relocated to different parts of the school, and eventually some of the younger students were sent to the Salmon River campus school since space became extremely limited at the SRMS. In the midst of it, a power outage wreaked havoc on the school’s basement, flooding it and requiring an entirely new boiler system, among other things. It was at that time that the entire school was relocated to Salmon River, taking up class wherever space could be made available.

The students have since adjusted well to their new surroundings and Adams said the school administrators believe it’s best to leave them in their temporary headquarters for the remainder of the year.

On March 9, the New York State Department of Education will participate in a public meeting at Salmon River to answer any remaining questions or concerns from the public. The meeting will start at 6 p.m.