School officials have shared more information about what the fall term will look like for students and staff after an Aug. 8 fire damaged parts of Bethlehem Catholic High school.
“We are grateful that the main school building will be available for the fall and that classes will begin as scheduled on Sept. 2,” principal Shelda Hanlan Stroh said.
School division spokesman Derrick Kunz said four portable classrooms that were under construction and 22 existing portables sustained damage from fire, water or smoke.
The origin of the fire is considered suspicious and city police have said an arson investigation is underway.
“We will be without 26 relocatable classrooms for the fall. We remain committed to providing in-person learning and keeping our entire school community together at Bethlehem,” Stroh said.
As a result, the school is moving into a split-day schedule when classes resume.
“Students will be attending scheduled classes that are slightly shorter in length for half of the day and will make up the remaining instructional minutes during the rest of the day,” Stroh said.
Grade 9 and 10 students will get regular instruction for five periods in the morning, while students in Grades 11 and 12 will get regular instruction for five periods in the afternoon.
Stroh said programming for students in functionally integrated programs will not be affected by the split-day schedule.
“Students enrolled in Alternative Education programs will continue to have access to full-day instruction and support.”
This change is intended to be temporary.
“As additional classrooms and learning spaces become available, we will review the schedule and transition back to a regular school day as soon as conditions allow,” Stroh said.
Families will continue to be updated as the school learns more about restoration timelines and available spaces.