New Westmont Elementary will not be ready for kids when school starts

EVANS, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - When students come to Westmont Elementary in Columbia County, they’ll be in a brand-new school.

But that won’t be this week, because the school isn’t ready yet.

Instead, students will meet for the first week at the Columbia County Performing Arts Center, located at 1000 Market St. in Evans.

“During this time, students will be engaged in exciting instructional activities, and other memorable experiences to enrich their learning,” the Columbia County School District said in a letter to parents.

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Throughout the week, grab-and-go breakfast and lunch will be provided free of charge daily for students during the temporary placement.

School buses will transport students via their assigned routes to the PAC, and a car line will be established for pick-up and drop-off.

“Safety and security is a top priority and measures are being put into place to include secure entry access points and monitoring by our Columbia County School District Police Department,” parents were told. “Additionally, our school nurse will also be on site to assist with medication distribution.”

At the new school, construction crews are still working on last-minute projects at the campus on Oakley Pirkle Road.

Some parents are not pleased with what they call the lack of communication from the school district.

One parent says she’s surprised by the late notice.

“I mean they knew back then that this school wasn’t going to be done. Look at it. There was no way that school was going to be done,” said the parent.

Monday is the first day back to school for kids in Columbia County, and while most students know what school they will be going to, Westmont parents have questions.

“So, now I am trying to figure it out come Monday. What am I going to do with my son? They didn’t even give us a week to figure out what we were going to do with our children,” said the parent.

Construction on the new elementary school has been going on for a couple of years, and this late decision caught parents by surprise.

“It’s just the way they did things — a complete lack of transparency, a complete lack,” said the parent.

The news came just five days before the first day of school through an email sent after business hours.

“And for them to send that email after 6 o’clock, you knew what issues y’all was going to have. You knew parents were going to be calling y’all trying to figure out what’s going on, but you did not want to give us the opportunity,” said the parent.

We spoke with construction workers on site who say they are working long days to get the school ready as soon as possible.

This isn’t the first time construction of a new school has continued until the last minute or even beyond.

In the Richmond County School System, the new Belair Middle School won’t quite be ready yet, so students will start the year at Langford Middle School.

And last year in Aiken County, uncertainty loomed over Highland Springs Middle School students as construction continued until nearly the last minute.

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