Oak Mountain Elementary to reopen April 5

As the March 25 tornado made its way down U.S. 119, it left behind damage at two Shelby County schools. 

Both Oak Mountain Elementary and Oak Mountain Middle Schools, which are next to one another, received damage from the storm. As a result, both schools transitioned to remote learning on Monday, March 30. 

OMES principal Jan Curtis said they were fortunate that the building sustained no significant damage. 

“We were not able to get on school grounds until Friday morning,” she said. “There were downed power lines and trees covering 119. I did a walk through with [Superintendent] Lewis Brooks to see the damage.”

In the school building, there were a couple of shattered windows and damage to the front awning, but most of the damage was actually on the grounds with many downed trees. 

The 22 buses in the school’s parking lot also sustained broken windows, poles and stop signs. Curtis said the school district’s transportation department worked with them and they will have replacement buses for the nine elementary school buses that were damaged. 

On April 1, Brooks sent a letter to OMES parents stating that “after further assessment by structural engineers and the architect firm that supports Shelby County Schools, it has been determined that students can return to campus for instruction on Monday, April 5.” 

Curtis said she is so grateful to Dr. Brooks and the district leaders who have supported their efforts in cleaning up their campus. 

“Also, our maintenance and custodial teams worked tirelessly as well to make sure our school is clean and safe and ready for students,” Curtis said. “We are fully functional.” 

While there have been many generous offers of help to clean up debris on the campus at this time has all been removed. Curtis said she hopes in the net several weeks to schedule a work day on the campus. 

“At this time most of the debris has been cleared, but we would like to plan a workday during the next several weeks to restore our beautiful campus,” she said. “I am working with a landscape architect to establish a plan for our grounds and will communicate ways that your family can be involved very soon.”

“A landscape architect is going to be making some recommendations on how we can restore our property and I will let our community know how they can assist us in that process,” she said.  

There are also families who experienced damage to their homes and Curtis said they are working with them to support them, and the school counselors will be ready to work with students to meet any emotional needs they have as a result of the storm.

While the elementary school will reopen, the middle school will continue to participate in remote learning until further notice.