Weather, construction problems delay opening of new Fort Mill elementary school
One of two new elementary schools coming to the Fort Mill school district will open later than expected.
Kings Town Elementary and River Trail Elementary, the district’s 10th and 11th elementary schools, are scheduled to open for the 2020-’21 school year.
Kings Town, off of Mason’s Bend Road, will open on time in August 2020, according to the school district. The school will be home to the Knights.
Jocelyn Young was named principal of Kings Town Elementary School.
River Trail Elementary, on the Fort Mill Southern Bypass south of the new Catawba Ridge High School, is behind schedule due to construction delays and poor weather, Superintendent Chuck Epps said in a prepared statement posted to the school district’s website. The school, where students will root for the Otters, will not be open until students return from winter break.
Peter Olinger was chosen as principal for River Trail Elementary School.
Construction crews found soil on the River Trail construction site that was not adequate to support the structural foundations of the school, according to the statement. Weather conditions caused the loss of 109 days of construction time.
The statement from Epps reads:
“The administration has worked to create a plan for students that will allow a mid-year transition to the new school to be as seamless as possible.
“Students assigned to River Trail will attend school at Doby’s Bridge Elementary or Kings Town Elementary for the first semester before making the transition to River Trail Elementary following the winter break. Students will be assigned to River Trail Elementary teachers and temporarily housed in Doby’s Bridge or Kings Town classrooms.
“After the break, the teachers and all students in their classes will transition together to their classrooms at River Trail Elementary.”
Siblings will attend the same school, according to Epps. Parents will receive more information on bus transportation and further details as plans are finalized.
“We understand this may cause some frustration as we work through this process. We want to assure everyone that the district is committed to making this a positive experience for all those impacted by the delay,” reads the statement from Epps.
The two new elementary schools, along with the district’s sixth middle school, are funded through a $190 million bond referendum voters approved in 2018, The Herald previously reported.
This story was originally published February 6, 2020 at 12:29 PM.
