Sheldon Clark To Be Shut Down?

**RunItUpTheGut** · 07-30-2013, 08:54 PM

Seen on the news today that Sheldon Clark could be forced to closed due to structual damage to the school thats made it an unsafe.
What could this mean for sports if the kids are forced to attend somewhere else? Its kind of came out of nowhere.

Heres the story....

INEZ, Ky. (WYMT) - Less than two weeks before the first day of school the Martin County School Board is considering shutting down Sheldon Clark High School because of safety concerns.

Some feel the walls could cave in anytime.

With the first day of school set for August 7, many folks in Martin County are wondering if they will even have a high school to go to.

"The concerns that we have is due to the safety of the building primarily because of the age of the building, the original construction and design of the building," said Martin County Superintendent Steven Meadows.

Board members say what worries them are cracks in the walls of the school and some in the floors that they believe are getting worse because of road construction and blasting nearby.

The blasting is going on just on the other side of a mountain beside the school, and some school board members say if it continues the school is not structurally sound enough to be in.

Based on an engineering report done on the school, some board members believe it is a safety hazard at any time.

"If you read the report it said that the school could not, lacked the structural integrity, that if you had a significant seismic wind or blast event the school could possibly collapse," said School Board Member Gary Ball.

Now it comes to deciding if it is safe enough to keep open.

"We're going to have to make other plans. We're going to have to do something as far as I'm concerned," said Ball.

They all say with staff and student safety their number one priority a decision will have to come soon.

The superintendent says they do have a contingency plan to move students into another school, but they are still determining how they will handle that.

Board members say they will hold a meeting Thursday night to discuss the school's future.
http://www.wkyt.com/yourtown/locations/m...57881.html

**RunItUpTheGut** · 07-30-2013, 08:57 PM

After watching the video, the cracks in that school are massive.

**Panther Thunder** · 07-30-2013, 09:42 PM

Seems like something that should have been dealt with before it got to this point.

**Belfry0304** · 07-30-2013, 10:25 PM

What would happen with the students since SCHS is the only HS in the county? The two closest schools are in Johnson County & WV (Tug Valley) ...

**LeeCoUKFan** · 07-30-2013, 10:55 PM

I have to agree with PT. With the size of some of those cracks they have had to have been there for a while now. Surely the school board could have planned some type of construction be done to it to fix it starting as soon as summer break started for the students.

Also, to go with what Belfry0304 said, what exactly is their contingency plan? I don't know SC's exact enrollment but, I am assuming that it's somewhere between 550-600 students. I don't see it being possible for them to send that many students to another high school. Does Martin County have anything that could serve as a temporary High School?

Be nice to hear from someone that knows more about the situation. Maybe CardinalAlum could fill us in on this.

**Do-double-gg** · 07-31-2013, 05:44 AM

Belfry0304 Wrote:What would happen with the students since SCHS is the only HS in the county? The two closest schools are in Johnson County & WV (Tug Valley) ...

And Lawrence County is close also.

**OffTheHook** · 07-31-2013, 07:51 AM

If I were guessing, which I am, I would say that they would prolly use their Middle School. They're not just going to shut the school down and ship them to out of county schools.

They have spent enough money on their NEW Football and NEW Baseball/Softball Fields in the last few years, to more than be enough to have fixed or rebuild.

**RunItUpTheGut** · 07-31-2013, 01:46 PM

^
I think some have understood the video.
By him saying they have a contigency plam to move them into another school, they dont mean move them to a whole other district, just another school, such as there own middle school so they have somewhere to hold classes.
The students wont have to transfer out of SC.

**Cardinalfootballguy** · 07-31-2013, 04:16 PM

Current plan now is to take the kids from Inez middle and send them to Warfield middle and send the high school Kids to Inez middle. Board meeting is being held tomorrow evening and I'll know more on it then.

**Do-double-gg** · 07-31-2013, 04:25 PM

CardinalAlum Wrote:Current plan now is to take the kids from Inez middle and send them to Warfield middle and send the high school Kids to Inez middle. Board meeting is being held tomorrow evening and I'll know more on it then.

??? So what do you do with the middle school kids???

**Cardinalfootballguy** · 07-31-2013, 04:42 PM

Do-double-gg Wrote:??? So what do you do with the middle school kids???

As I understand it all middle school kids in the county will now attend Warfield middle school

**LeeCoUKFan** · 07-31-2013, 04:56 PM

CardinalAlum Wrote:Current plan now is to take the kids from Inez middle and send them to Warfield middle and send the high school Kids to Inez middle. Board meeting is being held tomorrow evening and I'll know more on it then.

Ok, I figured they had to be sending them to another school within the county. Thanks for the clarification CA. I will be interested to hear what further details come from the board meeting.

***Wildcatk23*** · 07-31-2013, 04:59 PM

This should have been done years ago. The county spent millions on athletics with jacuzzis and flat screens in the boys locker rooms. A brand new field. Among many extra sport benefits while the school fell apart and the kids shared books.

**Jarons** · 07-31-2013, 06:47 PM

Wildcatk23 Wrote:This should have been done years ago. The county spent millions on athletics with jacuzzis and flat screens in the boys locker rooms. A brand new field. Among many extra sport benefits while the school fell apart and the kids shared books.

Sounds like Sheldon Clark's priorities are a little backward.

**Cardinalfootballguy** · 07-31-2013, 07:44 PM

The money for the field was coal severance and had to be used towards it

***Wildcatk23*** · 07-31-2013, 08:38 PM

CardinalAlum Wrote:The money for the field was coal severance and had to be used towards it

The coal severance money was donated for a new field. It could have easily been donated for all thw structure damage Sheldon Clark has. That lie had been spread and spread.

Also the new baseball field. Among other things

**Cardinalfootballguy** · 08-01-2013, 11:23 PM

Vote was done tonight and Sheldon Clark is closed

**Strikeout King** · 08-01-2013, 11:52 PM

CardinalAlum Wrote:Vote was done tonight and Sheldon Clark is closed

What are they gonna do about the upcoming sports seasons?

**Jarons** · 08-02-2013, 11:36 AM

Strikeout King Wrote:What are they gonna do about the upcoming sports seasons?

More importantly, what are they going to do with all the students? Sports is secondary in this situation.

***Wildcatk23*** · 08-02-2013, 12:11 PM

Sports has never been secondary at Sheldon Clark which is why it's in the shape it's in.

They have a plan in place to send all Sheldon Clark 9-12 to Inez middle school. Send all middle school students to Warfield middle. Now Warfield middle is definitely big enough and has many unused rooms and is a great facility. I cannot see them fitting all the high school students in Inez middle without maybe building on some rooms. This should have been done years ago.

**LeeCoUKFan** · 08-02-2013, 04:56 PM

Strikeout King Wrote:What are they gonna do about the upcoming sports seasons?

I would think that there wouldn't really be an issue with any of the outside sports, just bus the kids over after school. Now even though the school is closed, is the Gym still open?

***Wildcatk23*** · 08-03-2013, 09:10 AM

LeeCoUKFan Wrote:I would think that there wouldn't really be an issue with any of the outside sports, just bus the kids over after school. Now even though the school is closed, is the Gym still open?

Oh you mean the gym they was getting ready to spend 100K to give a new floor? LOL

Maybe they should have been doing repairs.