ST. LANDRY PARISH, La. (KLFY) – In St. Landry Parish, Plaisance Elementary School students are attending classes at Washington Elementary.
The students had to be relocated after Plaisance Elementary sustained massive flood damage. Plaisance Acting Principal Korwin Jean says Plaisance has to be dried-out and reconstructed before students could return.
Jean says it’s rather comfortable at Washington Elementary and the students are adjusting smoothly. “It’s more comfortable than I image or thought with two schools functioning on one campus under one roof,” says Jean.
“We are on a different campus and they’re not use to it. It’s a whole new set of grounds for them. My main concern was getting them to and from A to B throughout the day,” adds Jean. The new principal of Washington Elementary is Melanie Durio.
Durio says from the school bus to the classroom the program put into place for the transition went as planned. “We made a few adjustments to the schedule to coordinate the bell time and lunch times here. The same teachers have the same students. The students saw familiar faces,” notes Durio.
Durio says Washington Elementary has enough space to house the additional students. In fact, Durio’s hopeful enrollment will increase after all is said and done. Durio wants more students at the school. “Hopeful I can get some of them to want to come back or I can get some of my kids that went to other schools,” adds Durio.
Superintendent Edward Brown says he doesn’t want to set a particular date that Plaisance Elementary will reopen. Brown anticipates students will be able to return probably by December or January.