Morehouse school to temporarily relocate because of flooding

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Due to flooding in Morehouse, students and staff of the town's school will temporarily operate out of other Sikeston buildings beginning Monday.

Sikeston superintendent Steve Borgsmiller said students in Morehouse Elementary's first through fourth grades will attend classes at the Alternative Center, 835 W. Murray Lane, while kindergarten students will attend the Kindergarten Center, 1310 E. Salcedo Road.

Rising floodwaters forced Morehouse Elementary to dismiss early Thursday and close Friday. The field to the south of the school, which had no water in it Thursday, was underwater Friday, Borgsmiller said.

Another issue for the school and the Morehouse community was plumbing, which was not working because of the floodwaters.

On Friday most residents that live on the west side of town had water in their homes. Even if the water does start to recede, structures in town, including the school, could still have water in them, which is why the school staff along with the district's transportation, buildings and grounds and housekeeping met to coordinate the temporary move, he said.

"It is absolutely necessary for the district to make sure that the students who are impacted by this event have some portion of their day as normal as possible," Borgsmiller said.

Everyone from the district's technology staff to the spouses of teachers at Morehouse are working together to make the transition happen, Borgsmiller said. The district plans to have the Morehouse Elementary phone lines transferred to the Alternative Center, he said.

"The attitude has been great in spite of what's going on," Morehouse Elementary principal Jeff Williams said.

On Friday, teachers packed up their supplies and the basics they'll need, and school maintenance staff delivered it to the Alternative Center. Teachers were also getting their rooms ready, Williams said.

"We're sending out an automated call for parents and we gave class rosters to each of the teachers," Williams said. "They'll be placing calls to each of students to answer any questions and just to make personal contact with them."