QUEENS — As schools reopened across western Queens, P.S. 78 in Long Island City stayed dark.
The ground floor of P.S. 78, which is located in the CityLights Building in Hunters Point, was deluged by flood water during Hurricane Sandy. As of Monday, the work had not yet been completed, officials said.
“Although our goal has been to have students return to our building on Wednesday, November 7, 2012, we must make sure our school is deemed safe before this can happen,” the school’s principal, Louis Pavone, wrote in a note to parents.
“At this point in time our school building will remain closed as per DOE directive until all tests are completed to ensure the safety of our children and staff when they return.”
If the clean up process is not completed by Wednesday morning, P.S. 78 will relocate to P.S. 76 located at 10th Street and 36th Avenue in Dutch Kills, councilman Jimmy Van Bramer wrote on his Facebook page on Sunday.
“I will work with the DOE and the PS 78 community to ensure a safe return to their beloved school,” he added.
Leslie Costa, PTA co-president at P.S. 78, said in an email that “parents are hopeful that we will receive an update before Wednesday that we can return to our school.
“Many parents, including myself, have reservations about sending our kids to another school.”
