MARBLE HILL — The school damaged in a gas explosion earlier this month will open in time for the first day of classes on Sept. 9, according to the Department of Education.
John F. Kennedy High School, located at 99 Terrace View Ave. in Marble Hill, suffered a severe gas explosion on the night of August 20 that sent three workers to the hospital and destroyed parts of the building's fourth, fifth and sixth floors.
Although Mayor Bill de Blasio said in an interview shortly after the explosion that the building would not be open in time for the start of the school year, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz told DNAinfo on Monday that it now looks like the campus will reopen in time for the citywide first day of school.
The DOE confirmed Dinowitz's comments on Wednesday, noting that the building is structurally sound and that air quality tests have shown there is no danger for returning students and staff.
Dinowitz cautioned that part of the building would remain cordoned off while workers continue to make repairs, so it may be a more cramped environment than the students and teachers are used to.
"I'm assuming that what that will mean is there will be a lot of doubling up or overcrowded rooms," he said, "but I think that’s preferable to trying to find ways to relocate entire schools into other buildings."
Workers have sealed off the damaged rooms with sheetrock walls, and alternatives like lab carts will be provided to make up for the loss of the impacted science labs, according to the DOE.
Dinowitz stressed that students would only be placed in classrooms that were safe to use, and despite the hardships that would come with having less space, he welcomed the news of the reopening.
"It’s going to be tough, I’m sure, for both the students and the teachers for a while because no doubt it will take some time to restore the building to its former condition," he said. "But I think it’s good news, and I’m sure most students and certainly most parents would prefer that."
Repairs on the damaged classrooms will begin later this year, according to the DOE.
Two charter schools located in the building — New Visions Charter High School for Advanced Math and Science and New Visions Charter High School for the Humanities — were scheduled to start their academic years on August 24 after relocating to the nearby In-Tech Academy on 2975 Tibbett Ave. They will now be returning to the JFK campus, the city said.
Roughly 3,000 students attend the seven schools at JFK, according to the DOE.
The explosion occurred when one of the workers lit a match to see if gas was going through the line.
