Posted on October 7, 2002

LAFAYETTE - The library ceiling of Plantation Elementary collapsed. Ten Lafayette schools are without electricity and half of the food needed to feed students has spoiled.

That means public schools in Lafayette Parish will remain closed until Wednesday, as employees work to repair damage from Hurricane Lili, said Superintendent James Easton. The superintendent in Sunday's newspaper reported no significant damages to district schools because he had not received all of the reports that he needed to make a full assessment.

Essential personnel including principals, administrators and maintenance workers will report today.

Plantation Elementary head custodian Lloyd Turner was the first person to see the damage there. "The roof just collapsed," he said of the library, which was a new addition to Plantation.

The school has a new roof and the contractor has been called to survey the damage, Turner said. He did not know how long it would take to the fix the problem, but he said the school can probably open again this week anyway, because the library is only a wing of the central school.

Schools without electricity as of Sunday included: Broadmoor Elementary, Charles Burke Elementary, J.W. Faulk Elementary Arts and Technology School, Ernest Gallet Elementary, G.T. Lindon Elementary, Edgar Martin Middle School, Milton Elementary, Scott Middle School, Westside Elementary and Youngsville Elementary schools.

Also, part of Broussard Middle School's roof peeled away during the storm and the gym floor was soaked with water.

Easton said because power outages are so widespread throughout the parish, he did not want to make it hard for teachers and students to get to school.

"Many of our staff members have not had power restored to their homes," Easton said. "Even if we had school, we feel there would be high absenteeism on the part of our teachers who are still worried about their families."

-- Anonymous, October 07, 2002