Students return to burned elementary school
Students returned to Fairington Elementary School Monday after a team of more than 100 worked around-the-clock shifts to repair damage from a Jan. 17 fire that engulfed a kindergarten classroom.
The “suspicious” fire led to water, smoke and soot damage throughout the building, with the repair estimate at $722,000. Taxpayer money will cover $100,000 and insurance will pay the rest, DeKalb County School District spokesman Quinn Hudson said.
Students were shuttled to another school and did not miss class. But they are missing educational supplies, such as soap, pencils, pencil sharpeners and paper. So far, nine organizations, including Dunwoody Elementary School, Centennial Arts Academy in Gainesville and the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice, have offered to supply needed items. Anyone who wants to donate can contact Linda Crowley at the DeKalb school district: 678.676.2837 or linda_f_crowley@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us.
About the Author
Ty Tagami is a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since joining the newspaper in 2002, he has written about everything from hurricanes to homelessness. He has deep experience covering local government and education, and can often be found under the Gold Dome when lawmakers meet or in a school somewhere in the state.
