Students return to flood-hit high school

JUNEE High School has reopened with limited attendance, 24 hours after flash flooding damaged a large number of classrooms, forcing the school’s closure.

A series of slow-moving storms swept through Junee during the pre-dawn of Monday, February 10, delivering up to 80mm of rain in just eight hours – twice the town’s average monthly rainfall for February.

The intense back-to-back downpours triggered flash flooding across the township, sending a torrent of water surging through Junee High School.

Over a dozen classrooms were damaged during the deluge, forcing the school to close on Monday while damage assessments and safety inspections were carried out.

Principal Darren Hamilton said the damage was extensive, with restoration efforts expected to continue into next week.

The school reopened on Tuesday albeit with limited capacity, with only enough rooms to accommodate four grades at a time.

A rotating schedule has been introduced, with students in Years 7-10 attending in-person on Tuesday and Wednesday while Years 11-12 engaged in remote learning via Google Classroom.

Senior students will switch places with Years 9-10 on Thursday and Friday.

The staggered attendance plan will remain in place until Friday, February 21, as clean up and restoration efforts continue.