SLPS gives First Alert 4 exclusive tour of Ashland Elementary; district says 12 schools seriously damaged

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - Schools in the city are also dealing with the devastation firsthand from the tornado.

Saint Louis Public School Superintendent Dr. Millicent Borishade said a dozen schools have damage ranging from the roofs to classrooms and are in need of serious repairs.

The 12 schools impacted are: Dewey, Hamilton, Soldan, Washington Montessori, Pamoja, Sumner, Bryan Hill, Hickey, Ashland, Blewett, Yeatman and Columbia.

SLPS tells First Alert 4 that Ashland Elementary is the hardest-hit school in the district. Outside the school, you can see tiles down everywhere after the roof took a serious hit.

First Alert 4 got an exclusive tour inside the building because the outside damage doesn’t tell the full story.

As the doors unlocked to Ashland the first floor still had electricity, but there was water on the ground from Monday night’s rain.

Dr. Borishade showed us upstairs, where there was no working electricity and holes in the ceiling.

“It’s scary. This is where our students learn. This is what our community uses. To know they were spared,” Dr. Borishade said.

The roof was heavily damaged and windows were busted out.

“This is just sad. Sad. We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Dr. Borishade said.

A clock on the wall showed time stopped at 3:16 pm.

“It’s a reminder that just a few days ago we had people in this building at that time and they were able to get out safely. Life was happening around and they were in the midst of a storm,” Dr. Borishade said.

Even hanging on the wall was the emergency drill plan for the classroom.

“Thank god we have tornado drills, fire drills. We have those drills monthly so students and staff know how to respond,” Dr. Borishade said.

Classrooms are filled with piles of bricks and a torn-down light , busted-out windows, pieces of the roof covered in tarp and ceiling tiles dangling down. All of the damage tells the story of Ashland surviving the storm.

“To get school back up and running in this building it’s going to be a miracle. We have to go to the table, sit down and see what needs to happen. I don’t want anybody to rush. I don’t want patchwork. We need to see what’s next for Ashland and the community,” Dr. Borishade said.

Dr. Borishade said the students and staff are resilient. The district is focusing on the clean-up efforts right now but she said re-opening for the next school year in August is ambitious.

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