Milford elementary kids out of school for at least a week following Sunday fire

Why Should Delaware Care?
School has been canceled this week for  Lulu M. Ross Elementary School students after their Milford school caught fire Sunday, causing extensive damage to classrooms and the general building.  

An early morning fire at a Milford elementary school on Sunday severely damaged several classrooms and the library, among other sections of the school.

It also has disrupted the lives of many in the local community, leaving parents searching for childcare, a food bank mobilizing to provide lunches, and district officials wondering what could be salvaged from the scene.

The Delaware State Fire Marshal’s office said in a statement that the cause of the blaze at Lulu M. Ross Elementary remains under investigation, but so far investigators have found no evidence of criminal activity. 

Brad Schad, chief deputy state fire marshal, also told Spotlight Delaware that it is reasonable to assume students would not return to the school building this academic year. 

“That decision will be made by the school district about whether they are going to repair the building or demolish it,” Schad said.

In a separate statement, Milford Superintendent Travis Moorman said district officials are assessing their facilities to find “extra space that can be provided across the district.”  

He said the goal is to return students to a school next week but said there are logistical challenges the district must work through before making a final decision.

The fire also left the adjacent Mispillion Elementary without internet or working phone systems, causing school there to be canceled on Monday. The two schools share a campus, and both lost fiber-optic connectivity following the fire, according to the district. 

Firefighters were first notified of the blaze at 4:15 a.m. Sunday when a fire alarm was going off at Ross Elementary. When they arrived, they could see fire coming out of the roof of the school, according to the fire marshal. The crews then entered the building, “but deteriorating conditions forced them to evacuate the structure,” the fire marshal said.   

By Sunday afternoon, officials announced that school would be canceled for students the upcoming week. 

A spokesperson for the Milford School District also said it was unclear whether officials could salvage any  “materials or contents of the building.” Officials also said a district crisis team would meet regularly throughout the week, discussing short- and long-term responses and how education will look for students and staff. 

The district spokesperson said several daycare centers, such as Kids Inc. at the Reformation Lutheran Church and the Boys and Girls Club, have opened their doors and offered space for kids whose parents work and need assistance with childcare for the week.

The district is also working with its own nutrition department and the Food Bank of Delaware to provide breakfast and lunch for its students. The district established hub spots for families to pick up meals while school is closed, Moorman said The meal bags will include lunch for each day and breakfast for the next morning. 

In a statement posted on social media, Delaware Secretary of Education Cindy Marten said her department is working directly with district leaders to “help meet immediate needs, remove barriers, and support plans for students to continue learning.”

What will happen if the school can’t be rebuilt? 

It is unclear how long it may take for the Milford community to see a new Lulu M. Ross Elementary School building. 

If a district wants to build a new school, add an expansion, or complete a substantial renovation, its officials must seek state funding approvals from the Delaware Department of Education through a process known as a certificate of necessity, commonly referred to as a CN. 

If the Department of Education approves a request, the state will fund a percentage of the project cost. The district would need to secure its local contribution through a referendum. 

Nearly all CN requests have been rejected in recent years. 

This past summer, the Milford School District requested $80 million to complete major renovations and expansions to its high school. It was the fourth time the school district has submitted the request. 

Delaware Department of Education spokesperson Alison May said the department understands the “emergency nature” of the situation for the Milford School District. 

She also said there are emergency protocols and provisions to expedite construction needs under the insurance process. May also pointed to an “emergency process” when the Capital School District’s William Henry Middle School was impacted by a tornado in 2020.

More than $9 million was needed to repair William Henry Middle, as reported by Bay to Bay News. At the time, Capital School District officials credited legislators, the Delaware Department of Education and the state insurance office to secure the funding for repairs.

An old building

The campus of Ross Elementary was mostly quiet on Monday afternoon. A few contractors wandered around the back of the school, while the nearby Mispillion Elementary also sat closed.

The air still smelled slightly smoky, depending on how the wind was blowing.

Jessica Smith, who lives along nearby Lovers Lane and attended Lulu Ross, said she worried about what will happen with the school’s roughly 700 students. She also noted she has family and friends who work at the school

She said her boyfriend told her about the fire on Sunday but she didn’t believe him at first. But when she left for church that morning, there were about a dozen fire trucks lining the whole street. Some have returned several times over the past 24 hours, she said..

Smith also mentioned that other fire alarms had gone off at the school recently prior the blaze, citing two specific times within the last week. One last weekend and another during the middle of the week.

“It’s a really old building,” she said.