Engineers clear Ross River, Yukon, school for occupancy

The Yukon government says the school in Ross River is safe for occupancy.

Students and staff were sent home Friday after significant cracks were discovered in the building. The school remained closed Monday but re-opened Tuesday.

A community meeting was held Monday evening. 

Parent Billie Maje, whose daughter Danika is a student, planned to .

"I'm sure everybody is pretty worried about what's going on with our school and just having to close so suddenly on Friday afternoon," Maje says.

She says she hopes to learn more about what caused the cracks.  

"All that I've heard is that they are pretty considerable and I was thinking because of the -45 weather going down to -50 that might have affected the building," Maje says.

The Yukon government says the closure was a precaution.

Doris Wurfbaum in the Highways and Public Works department says the structural integrity of the school is not impaired.

"On Saturday the department sent two independent structural engineers to investigate the cracks at the school and they concluded that the school is safe for occupancy," Wurfbaum says.

The school was built in 2001 and like other buildings in the community it was built on permafrost. Wurfbaum says work to prevent truss movement above the school’s mechanical room has been recommended and it will be done during spring break.

Exterior work to reinforce some of the concrete foundation will be done during the summer. 

The school houses about 50 students in Kindergarten to Grade 12, and students attending the Yukon College campus in Ross River.