Repair work to begin soon on Lincoln Elementary

At the end of the Jackson-Madison County School Board work session on June 10, board member Jason Compton asked about an update on Lincoln Elementary School.

A vehicle ran off the road and hit the building on the night of May 31, knocking out a large section of wall.

Deputy Superintendent Ricky Catlett told the Board they moved the summer learning camp set to be at Lincoln to another school just in case there was an asbestos concern.

“A lot of dust came out of that, so we didn’t know what all students and teachers would be breathing in even though all the classes would’ve been on the opposite end of the building,” Catlett said. “Fortunately, there was no asbestos.”

At the time, there was a concern from the fire marshal and structural engineer about possible cracks in the wall above the hole made by the car that would cause further work to be done.

Catlett confirmed on June 19 that no structural damage was found, and work on putting new blocks into the wall would begin very soon.

Catlett confirmed to the Board that all expenses connected to this work would be covered by the school’s insurance since the vehicle was uninsured, but the expenses are covered.

When Compton asked about the wall being done before the first day of classes for the 2024-25 school year, Catlett didn’t commit to it being done before then but said crews will work very hard to get it done before school starts back.

Brandon Shields, brandon@jacksonpost.news