Northwest Iowa schools hit by floods rebuilding before school year

ROCK VALLEY, Iowa (KCAU) – It’s been more than a month since floodwaters swept through Rock Valley Community School, and with the school year just around the corner, administrators have two goals in mind during the restoration process.

“I’m really trying to stick to health and safety, number one. We want to have a healthy and safe space for our staff and students,” Rock Valley Community School District superintendent Matt Van Voorst said. “Next is, we want to prioritize learning spaces, getting those complete so we can get students back in.”

Because Rock Valley houses all three schools under one roof, the rebuilding process will take more than a few steps.

“We’re going to try to stage some things back to where we can rotate some students’ classrooms through,” Van Voorst said. “For instance, we might work on five classroom spaces initially, and then rotate some students back in when it’s completed, and then move on to the next phase.”

While it may take some time, getting students back to a place they feel comfortable is a priority.

“That’s my goal, is to provide that space, a place for them to come into this fall and be confident that enrolling in Rock Valley is the place to be,” Van Voorst said. “We’re going to build back and be stronger than ever together.”

63 miles to the east, Spencer Community School District saw the most damage from the cresting of the Little Sioux River at Lincoln Elementary School.

“We had 12 to 18 inches of water throughout this whole building,” superintendent Terry Hemann said. “Lincoln Elementary houses our third, fourth, and fifth graders, so that’s about 450 students, and we will not be having school here for much of the year, if at all this year.”

For the upcoming year, the third, fourth, and fifth graders will be housed at different schools in the Spencer district.

“All those buildings are going to be a little tight, a little cozy, but we’re going to make it work,” Hemann said.

Although Lincoln Elementary will be out for the year, Spencer schools can expect an exciting year.

“I’m sure there’ll be some concerns,” Hemann said. “You know, it’s just going to be different, and we’re asking everybody to give us a little grace. We’re going to do the best we can with what we have.”

Spencer is set to start the next school year at the scheduled date of August 23, but Rock Valley may see a delayed start of September 5.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports.