District News

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (GRPS) — Cleanup and remediation work is continuing following flooding at City High Middle School. Both City High Middle School and the Center for Economicology will remain closed for the remainder of the week, with the goal of reopening on Monday, March 16. All other GRPS schools will be open Thursday.

Heavy rain Tuesday evening caused flooding across Grand Rapids. Minor flooding occurred at Southwest Elementary School Academia Bilingüe and Zoo School, forcing classes to be canceled Wednesday. Crews worked overnight and throughout the day to clean and sterilize impacted areas. Southwest Elementary School Academia Bilingüe will reopen as normal on Thursday. Zoo School will also reopen on Thursday, using alternate classroom spaces at the zoo while final cleanup continues.

The flooding was more significant at City High Middle School. Our Facilities and Operations team immediately responded to remove the water. A professional contractor is now sanitizing affected areas, removing baseboards, and inspecting walls and flooring to determine additional areas that require mitigation. That work is expected to continue through the weekend as crews prepare the building to safely reopen Monday.

While no flooding occurred inside the Center for Economicology, the program uses spaces within City High Middle School and will remain closed until the cleaning and remediation process is complete.

“We are grateful for the quick response of our Facilities and Operations team, who were out across the district as the flooding occurred,” said Superintendent Dr. Leadriane Roby. “Their work helped protect our learning spaces and allowed us to reopen most schools quickly while we continue the cleanup at City High Middle School.”