Kealing Middle School to Reopen Monday After Fire Closure

Kealing Middle School will welcome students back on Monday after a fire forced Austin school administrators to close the campus during the district’s first week of classes.

A fire broke out overnight on Aug. 19, shutting down the East Austin campus on the district’s first day of school last Tuesday. The fire caused significant damage to the heating and air conditioning ductwork, leading district officials to cancel classes for the campus’ 1,300 students through the rest of the week, according to a statement from the district on Wednesday afternoon.

District officials anticipate staff will complete repairs by Saturday, allowing Kealing to operate on a normal schedule starting Monday. Some classes may be temporarily relocated if their original classrooms require additional repair time, district officials said.

The fire was contained to a single hallway but caused damage from flames, smoke, and water to both the upstairs and downstairs of the building, according to the statement. The fire appeared to be caused by an overloaded outlet in a classroom, and the Austin Fire Department does not suspect arson.

District officials do not expect students to make up extra class time for missing the first week of school. Austin administrators plan to apply for a waiver from the state for the lost learning time. Depending on the waiver's outcome, school officials may need to extend Kealing’s school day by a few minutes for the remainder of the school year.

Students who need to be on campus for any reason can stay in the gym or cafeteria, which were unaffected by the fire, according to the district. Buses will run normal routes to pick up students who need to come to campus, and students will be able to pick up a bagged lunch between 11 a.m. and noon at the back of the school near the gym off Salina Street.