Crews rushing to get high school damaged by tornado ready for start of year

COWETA COUNTY, Ga. — Crews are working around the clock to make sure a Coweta County high school that was damaged by a devastating EF-4 tornado is ready for the start of the school year.

Channel 2′s Kristen Holloway was at Newnan High School, where a tornado destroyed the majority of the campus and a portion of the city back in March. Newnan High School has thirteen buildings, ten of which sustained heavy damage.

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Principal Dr. Chase Puckett is optimistic that repairs will be finished in time for when students return.

“We have three weeks to go before the kids show up, and we’re going to be ready,” Puckett said.

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Puckett said a lot of things will be different returning to face-to-face learning after going through a global pandemic and a tornado.

“We have new bus routes, bus loading zones, we have ninth grade students on one campus 10th-12th on another campus,” Puckett said. “The biggest challenge right now is finding how to revamp everything in a way that provides a positive environment for students and teachers.”

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Puckett said several buildings won’t be used when students start back in August because the damage is so extensive. Most are being held in place by steel poles and some aren’t safe to enter.

Students will return to school in three buildings and 60 mobile classrooms. The three buildings the school is using only had water damage and broken windows.

Multiple crews are on site hustling to get the work done.

“We’ve got modular units being set up right now as we speak, we’re going to get furniture moved in, technology put in place,” Puckett said. ‘We’ve got some sidewalks we need to put, and walls to put up, but we’re going to be ready.”

Newnan High School takes direct hit from powerful tornado After spending months in online classes, and then for some rejoining their teachers in person, looking at the damage at the school is especially hard.

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