By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–One more day.
Students and faculty at Union City Elementary School will close out the week Friday with the same schedule they’ve had on both Wednesday and Thursday – at Union City High School.
Friday will both start and end at the Civic Auditorium for UCES students and school personnel, with hopes that things will return to normal Monday.
A gas leak discovered on the UCES campus late this past Monday has forced a contingency plan to go into effect with elementary children and personnel. The gas was immediately turned off, but Union City Director of Schools Wes Kennedy elected to put an alternative plan into place because there would be no heat, hot water or cooking stove available for use.
The source of the leak has been discovered and both workers and welders will work late into the night tonight and on Friday with expectations that the issue will be repaired and classes will return to their normal state at UCES Monday morning.
A system-wide all-call will again be sent out this evening to inform parents of students of Friday’s schedule.
Students will again be dropped off Friday at the Civic Auditorium on the UC High School campus and classes will be held the Purple and Gold Room, the multi-purpose building, the UCHS band room, Marty Sisco gymnasium, the high school commons area and the Civic Auditorium.
The time schedule will remain the same as it has been – both over the last two days and during regular school days.
Students may begin arriving at the Civic Auditorium at the usual time (7:05 a.m.), with classes to begin at 7:55 – as usual. Dismissal times will be the same – 2:15 for pre-k; 2:20 for kindergarten; and 2:30 for grades 1-4.
High school students will again be dismissed at 2 p.m. Friday to help with traffic congestion around the school.
Students will start their day with a hot breakfast and a hamburger sack lunch will be provided at lunch time.
Kennedy offered insight to his decision made early in the week and said, while safety was his first priority, he is convinced there is no risk involved now – only time needed for repair.
“The gas has been off since Monday night. My concern has been not having heat or hot water or the ability to cook,” the top UC administrator said. “We could’ve actually had classes from Tuesday on, but I didn’t want to be in the workers’ way and wanted to put our students and teachers in the best environment to learn and instruct.
“I didn’t think that would be fair to 95 percent of the students and their parents.
“And I’m really confident that we’ll be back in our building on Monday.”
Day 2 of the contingency plan Thursday went even more smooth than the first day when there were only minor issues.
All students arrived before the 7:55 a.m. tardy time, first greeted by an enthusiastic staff and then enjoying a hot breakfast before beginning their day of learning. Traffic flow was considerably better on Thursday than Wednesday – both in the morning and afternoon.
Kennedy had many words of praise for his faculty at all three schools, workers from the Union City Schools’ Maintenance Department, CAM Electric and Revell Construction and the Union City Police Department.
“What a great town and community we live in,” he said. “No matter what our needs have been, there have been people to step up and offer to help – most times without even having to be asked.
“We have the best teachers and administrators of anybody. Our maintenance guys and the folks from CAM Electric and Revell Construction have been tireless in their efforts to get us back in our building. They’ve all already committed to working late at night and into the weekend to get our issues resolved.
“We are indeed a blessed school system.”
UCES students did return to campus to participate in physical education classes and high school students are set to take the ACT Prep course in the elementary school library Friday at 8 a.m. Those students will be bused to UCES from the high school.
“There’s absolutely no safety issue or concern about them being there,” Kennedy adamantly stated. “The gas isn’t on and hasn’t been on for three days.”
Williams Sausage will provide breakfast for the UCES faculty Friday and Kennedy will treat the elementary school personnel to lunch from Don Sol. For the third straight day, teachers and their assistants will be provided with coffee from Higher Ground – courtesy of Kennedy – to begin the day.
The Kid’s Club after-school program will go on as regularly scheduled Friday at UCHS.
Kennedy said a final decision on where school would be held Monday for elementary school would be made in the late afternoon Sunday and that an all-call would be sent out to parents then.
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