Summit Elementary Community Set For Move As Water Concerns Continue
BUTLER, Pa. (KDKA) -- The old Broad Street Elementary School in the Butler Area School District is reopening.
Students are moving to the old school building starting next week because lead and E.coli were found in the water supply at Summit Elementary School.
Ahead of the changes, parents and their children attended an open house Friday at the Broad Street school location to tour the building.
The students will begin classes there on Monday and stay there indefinitely until the water issues can be fully resolved at the other school building.
Broad Street Elementary School has been closed for two years now. So, it was a bit of a challenge for administrators and staff to get the facility ready for the children. The district scrambled to get it furnished, wired and ready for classes on Monday, while investigators deal with the lead, copper, and E.coli issues at the Summit location.
"Everyone's really just pulling together, and it's really, it's just amazing to see what's come together in this building in three days," said Assistant Superintendent Brian Slemecka. "It was a building that was sitting here, wasn't being used and now you'd never guess that there weren't classes happening in here."
The open house was held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and many families showed up. While the vibe was mostly positive, but there's still a lot of health concern from parents.
Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter
"I did sign the petition and everything else for it," said Naomi Bennett, a parent at the open house. "I wish some of the parents were more aware of the problem."
Officials are continuing to test and investigate the water supply at Summit Elementary.
The latest Summit Elementary water test results showed a sample from the well had a very low lead level and a below detection limit for copper.
As a precaution, water testing was also done at Broad Street Elementary. Those tests are expected to come back clear because the school is on the same water system as the city. Still, bottles of water will be provided for students until Wednesday when the tests are expected to come back.
