Cardinal Elementary Closed for the Rest of the Week

Richmond, Va. (Newsradiowrva.com) - Richmond’s Cardinal Elementary School will remain closed for the rest of this week after it was struck by lightning Monday evening, sparking a small fire.

RPS leaders say work has already begun to repair damage and prepare additional space for students and staff, with the school planning to reopen on Tuesday, Sept. 3.

Cardinal is one of the RPS 200 schools, which means its school year started about five weeks ago.

“Cardinal started back in July, so, this is week six for them,” explained Superintendent Jason Kamras. “They’ve had a full five weeks of school and they’ve already hit the ground running. A lot of great learning already happening here. So, it’s not quite as disruptive, say, if the school had just opened up.”

Kamras added that updates will be provided along the way. School district administrators will be in contact with parents every day this week, he said.

According to an update from the school system, damage is confined to the second and third grade corridors on the first and second floors. The next few days will be spent repairing the damage and preparing additional spaces for students and staff.