Clean-up continues at flood-hit high school

JUNEE High School will continue to operate with limited attendance next week as clean-up efforts continue and repairs are carried out following Monday’s flash flooding.

A series of slow-moving thunderstorms swept through Junee during the pre-dawn hours of Monday, 10 February, 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.

Floodwaters, funnelled from a hill east of Lydia Street, inundated the school before flowing onto Waratah Street and entering the town’s stormwater system.

More than a dozen rooms were washed-out during the deluge, forcing the school to close on Monday while damage assessments and safety inspections were carried out.

In a letter to parents and carers on Friday, Junee High School Principal Darren Hamilton said a total of 22 rooms had been impacted.

“Due to the number of rooms affected by water and the ongoing clean-up effort, we have implemented a staggered learning approach to ensure students can continue learning,” Mr Hamilton said.

The school reopened on Tuesday, but with limit capacity, accommodating only four grades at a time.

A rotating schedule was 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 switched places with Years 9-10 on Thursday and Friday.

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

Mr Hamilton said cleaning and remediation work would continue into next week, with fresh carpet being installed in affected rooms.

He added that specialty cleaning was underway in several areas, including the Building B welding room, two store rooms, a wood storage room, and two learning spaces, with these rooms expected to reopen on Monday.

“Thank you for your patience as we continue with our flood recovery and clean-up work,” Mr Hamilton said. “I will aim to provide a further update early next week with the latest information.”

Junee High School’s swimming carnival will go ahead on Wednesday, while school photos, originally scheduled for next Tuesday, have been postponed to Friday, March 28.