Officials unsure if middle school will be open Thursday

Clean-up underway; crews assessing the leaks, building

EastBayRI.com ·

It is not yet clear whether the damage caused by Tuesday's nor'easter will force a third day of canceled classes at Barrington Middle School.

Officials called off classes for Wednesday after custodians discovered numerous roof leaks at the middle school during the late-winter storm.

Barrington Superintendent of Schools Michael Messore said two companies had been brought it on Wednesday — one to help with the cleanup effort inside the building and another to assess the problems on the school's roof.

Roof leaks discovered at middle school.

"We've got to do an assessment. I've got to make sure everything is safe," said Mr. Messore during an interview on Wednesday morning. The superintendent said he would decide whether the school would be open on Thursday, and make an announcement later in the day on Wednesday.

Mr. Messore said there are numerous roof leaks at the middle school, the worst are located above the second floor classrooms toward the western end of the building. 

"There are little drips and drabs everywhere," he added. 

Six classrooms were impacted, as well as the middle school library and the boys' locker room. Mr. Messore said the gymnasium was not affected by the roof leaks. The superintendent said the district's insurer will be at the school on Wednesday to assess the damages and build an estimate on how much repairs will cost.

The good news, said Mr. Messore, is that there was no loss of instructional material during the roof leaks. He added that the school has gone 1-to-1 with technology devices, thereby limiting the number of computers inside the building.