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Overcast Superintendent: Long Beach High School building is safe
Parking lot ceilings to be removed, school to reopen on April 16
School officials said that Long Beach High School will reopen on April 16 when students return for classes following spring recess, saying that as workers continue to remove a ceiling that collapsed in a school parking lot on Friday, the building is safe.
The incident occurred at 5:10 p.m. on April 6, when a section of suspended stucco ceiling at the eastern end of Long Beach High School’s ground level parking lot, at the main building of the school, fell to the ground. No one was injured.
In a statement released on Monday, School Superintendent David Weiss said that a decision was made to completely remove the suspended ceiling that covers the overhang area around Long Beach High School, a carport area, and a secondary carport area.
Weiss said that the work has already commenced and removal will be completed before students return to school for classes on Monday, April 16.
Weiss said that structural engineers and the district’s architects and construction management firm evaluated the 41-year-old building and ceiling system following Friday’s partial collapse of a suspended ceiling that covers the underside of the overhang and carport area.
The affected areas, he said, do not consist of “any interior spaces of the building that would be occupied by students or staff, but they do ‘overhang’ entrances and the carports that are trafficked. The core structure was not damaged by the collapse and is safe.”
The decision to remove the remainder of the suspended ceiling is an important safety decision that completely removes the possibility of any further issues, Weiss said, since the structures will be gone.
We will not tolerate any uncertainty with regard to the safety of our students, staff, or anyone who uses the facilities. Safety has to be our first priority,” Weiss said. “No one was injured as a result of this event. School was on recess and no students were in the building at the time. Long Beach High School will remain closed as cleanup continues.”
