On December 26, 2022, the Neal Wilkins Early Learning Center experienced significant water damage as a result of an interior pipe bursting. The district has contracted a remediation expert, First OnSite, who have assessed that the east side of the building consisting of 8 classrooms will be inoperable for the next 8 weeks.
All students will be welcomed back to Neal Wilkins on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, as scheduled.
All school operations including food service will remain functional in the west side of the building with the Early Childhood, 4-K, and Kindergarten continuing classes in the gymnasium and multipurpose spaces.
Throughout the remediation, our priority will remain in keeping our students and staff safe while student learning continues. The district is working diligently to assess and repair the damage as quickly as possible.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
#1 - My child attends Neal Wilkins, when will they be able to return to school?
All students will be returning to Neal Wilkins on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, as scheduled.
#2 - Which classrooms were affected by the water damage?
Eight classrooms were impacted on the east side of the building including Early Childhood, 3 4-K and 4 Kindergarten classrooms. The library, art, and therapy rooms were also impacted by the damage.
#3 - My student’s classroom was impacted, how long will they be in their temporary classroom?
Our remediation experts will be on-site for approximately 8 weeks assessing and repairing the damage. Once remediation is complete, students will return to their same classrooms.
#4 - How will the remediation work affect the daily operations of the Neal Wilkins Early Learning Center?
School operations will resume and all students will remain in the building. The biggest impact will be the temporary relocation of classrooms into our Multi-Purpose/Music Room and the Gymnasium. There will be temporary walls separating those classes. In our favor, we have extremely resourceful and professional educators that will prioritize student safety and learning in any environment.
#5 - What safety precautions are being taken to ensure the safety of our students and staff?
The Platteville School District is working with First Onsite to remediate the damaged areas of the Neal Wilkins Early Learning Center. First Onsite will work with the district to safely and effectively reoccupy the Neal Wilkins Early Learning Center as general restoration practices are being performed. The initial occupancy plan includes cleaning and sanitizing the unaffected area of the school for occupancy, building temporary hard surface barriers along with proper signage to restrict staff and student entry to water affected areas, build dividers for temporary classrooms in the multi-purpose room (unaffected area), and build dividers for temporary classrooms in the gymnasium. The plan of action, egress plan, and occupancy plans were approved by the Platteville Fire Department today.
Here is a link to the Licensing our partner, First OnSite is implementing. Along with their Certification.
#6 - Is the remediation of the water damage going to impact the upcoming work for the referendum?
No, the damage sustained from the burst pipe is contained to the east side of the building. Our facility improvements of the Neal Wilkins Early Learning Center will be on the west end of the building with construction set to being in the Spring of 2024.
#7 - I am interested in making a donation to the teachers and classrooms affected by the water damage. Where can I make my donation?
The Neal Wilkins PTO Group is collecting donations at this time and ask that donations be received in the form of a gift card, preferably Amazon or Walmart, as the school does not currently have adequate storage for physical donations at this time. Please email [email protected] for more information!