Hallway ceiling collapses at Idaho Falls High School

IDAHO FALLS — The ceiling of a hallway connected nan 2nd communicative of Idaho Falls High School gave measurement Friday, causing a scatter connected societal media and raising concerns astir nan information of nan 72-year-old facility.

“We’re conscionable grateful that nary 1 was wounded and that our attraction unit responded very quickly,” Idaho Falls School District 91 Superintendent Karla LaOrange told EastIdahoNews.com.

Photos taken Friday show nan collapsing ceiling gingerly propped up by 2 ladders.

Classes continued uninterrupted arsenic schoolhouse labor blocked disconnected students’ entree to nan damaged hallway.

The sagging ceiling astatine Idaho Falls High School. | Courtesy Erika Merrill via Facebook

While building of nan schoolhouse was completed successful 1952, nan failing ceiling was portion of a newer summation added to nan precocious schoolhouse astir 20 years ago, LaOrange explained.

When nan ceiling was primitively installed, it consisted of ceiling tiles placed complete double drywall secured by staples.

“This summer, location was immoderate activity done wherever workers were stepping connected that route,” she said. “What we deliberation happened was that it popped nan staples. Then, conscionable complete time, they gave way. The staples came undone.”

Crews worked each time Saturday to region nan ceiling and cleanable up nan site. A institution will instal caller ceiling later this week.

Crews removed nan compromised ceiling astatine Idaho Falls High School connected Saturday. | Courtesy Superintendent Karla LaOrange

“The tile is good and structurally sound,” she said. “… It’s nan ceiling portion (that fell). There are nary structural things to beryllium concerned about.”

A master appraisal of nan full caller helping and its ceilings is being completed this week to cheque for immoderate imaginable issues.

“We don’t cognize whether it was constructed nan aforesaid measurement aliases not, truthful we’ll beryllium doing an appraisal of that,” she said.

Ninth grader Jacob Behrmann took this photograph connected his 3rd time astatine Idaho Falls High School. | Courtesy Jacob Behrmann

An aging facility

Additionally, connected Friday Idaho Falls High School’s caput shot coach Marty Duffin sent retired a connection to each nan shot players that “the showers successful nan locker room tin nary longer beryllium utilized arsenic they are leaking down into nan offices below. A activity petition has been submitted to hole this, but until further notice, you tin not usage nan showers.”

Head Coach Marty Duffin’s memo to nan IFHS shot squad that they tin nary longer usage nan showers. | Courtesy Michelle Palmer via Facebook

In different incident a fewer years ago, nan gym level began to springiness measurement during a schoolhouse dance.

“We don’t put dances location anymore,” LaOrange said. “We did person an engineering institution and a building institution spell successful and reside that. It is good to beryllium on, but that’s 1 of those things that we would for illustration to do much important activity on, if we could arsenic portion of (the district’s) accommodation plan.”

Nevertheless, galore parents are concerned astir nan existent authorities of nan facilities.

The IFHS ceiling bending for illustration a parabola connected Friday. | Courtesy photo

A caller Facebook group called “IDAHO FALLS HIGH SCHOOL FALLING APART” has attracted 340 members successful 3 days.

One mother’s Friday nighttime station astir nan precocious schoolhouse was shared 146 times connected Facebook.

“This is simply a travesty, and nan organization needs to understand what is happening wrong nan walls of IFHS,” Erica Tuttle wrote.

The ceiling droops connected nan second-floor of Idaho Falls High School connected Friday. | Courtesy photo

Some organization members judge that constructing a caller precocious schoolhouse is nan correct solution, while others reason that renovating nan existent installation would beryllium little expensive.

In November 2022, a $250 cardinal schoolhouse enslaved to build a caller precocious school, 2 simple schools and renovate Skyline High School received 58% support but grounded to unafraid a supermajority.

In nan meantime, nan territory maintains a 10-year accommodation scheme that it is submitting to nan state, LaOrange said.

“In nan past year, we’ve done a important magnitude of attraction wrong nan resources that we person disposable to us,” nan superintendent said. “We’ve done a batch of actual work. We’ve done a batch of soul activity pinch plumbing and things for illustration that to effort to reside problems.”

“We’re trying to beryllium much fierce successful our attraction activity … but there’s been somewhat of a lapse, and truthful we’re having to activity to usage nan resources that we person to reside those needs.”

The hallway is cordoned disconnected connected Saturday. | Courtesy Superintendent Karla LaOrange

LaOrange stressed that student information is nan district’s number 1 priority.

“The engineers and nan contractors … each person said IF is structurally really sound,” she said. “The classrooms aren’t large enough. We don’t person capable outlets. There’s that benignant of worldly going on, but structurally, it’s sound.”

A institution will instal a caller ceiling astatine IFHS later this week. | Courtesy Superintendent Karla LaOrange