Manchester Schools Set To Welcome Displaced Lakehurst Students

MANCHESTER, NJ — Lakehurst Elementary School students and staff displaced by the mold in their school will start classes on Thursday in classrooms at three Manchester Township schools and St. John's Church.

And efforts are under way to help get them the basic supplies to start the school year.

Manchester Township Superintendent David Trethaway said Lakehurst first-graders will be at the Whiting School, second- through fourth-graders at the Ridgeway School and fifth- through eighth-graders will be at Manchester Township Middle School.

Lakehurst's pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students will be at the church facility in Lakehurst.

"It is important to note that the Lakehurst students will receive instruction and supervision by the Lakehurst staff in each of the three Manchester schools," Trethaway said in a notice posted on the Manchester schools' website. Manchester will bus the Lakehurst students from a common pick-up and drop-off area designated at St. John's.

"The situation is temporary and the Lakehurst students and staff will report back to their school when their building is deemed safe," Trethaway said. There will be no changes to the Manchester Township schools and all starting and reporting times are the same.

The Lakehurst administration handed out information to its families on Monday morning explaining the busing information, the district said on its website.

The cleanup and replacement of equipment in Lakehurst Elementary School is expected to keep students and staff out of the building until mid-November, Lakehurst Superintendent Loren Fuhring said. The estimated cost is about $1 million, she said. (READ MORE: Mold Forces Lakehurst Students To Start Year In Other Places)

Because the mold has forced the district to get rid of everything in the school down to the furniture, the Manchester Township Education Association announced efforts to collect classroom supplies.

The following items are being collected:

• Construction Paper
• Children's Books
• Student Scissors (lefties too!)
• Lincoln Logs
• Legos
• Toy Trains
• Project Patterns to do classroom activities
• Prepackaged activities
• Bulletin Board Materials

"It is our understanding that the Pre-K and Kindergarten classes are established and have all necessary resources and materials," the MTEA said in a post on Facebook.

Donations can be brought to Manchester Township Middle School.

Click here to get Patch email notifications on this or other local news articles or get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here. Have a news tip? Email karen.wall@patch.com

Follow us on Facebook. Click here to like our page.

Image via Google Maps