The Bronx high school rocked by an explosion when a worker lit a match inside a gas-filled science lab under construction will reopen in time for the first day of school on Sept. 9, officials say.
The timing of John F. Kennedy High School's reopening was initially unclear, with conflicting reports from officials immediately after the Aug. 20 explosion on whether the seven schools on campus would be ready for the first school day.
But de Blasio and other officials said Wednesday the building has been deemed safe to occupy after workers stayed on site around the clock since the blast to make repairs and seal off damaged rooms. Air quality tests also showed no possible danger.
The damaged science labs on the sixth floor will be replaced with alternatives like lab carts and other functioning labs in the building, officials said. Bids will go out for reconstruction work on the damaged rooms, which will be sealed off during repairs scheduled for later this year, so no students will be affected.
Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled at the seven schools on the campus, including Marble Hill School for International Studies, Bronx Theatre High School, Bronx School of Law and Finance, English Language Learners and International Support Prep Academy, Bronx Engineering and Technology Academy, New Visions Charter High School for Advanced Math and Science, and New Visions Charter High School for Humanities. The two charter schools, which began their school year earlier, were temporarily relocated at In-Tech Academy and will be returning to the JFK campus.
Three construction workers were hurt in the explosion, sparked by a worker who lit a match while checking for gas inside the lab after he installed a tabletop gas valve, officials said.
The blast blew out the walls of the science lab on the northwest corrner of the building and sent debris flying 200 feet, according to the FDNY. Several floors were damaged in the explosion.
The construction workers had been privately contracted by the New York City Schools Construction Authority as part of a project to build science labs on the sixth floor of the building, Mayor de Blasio said. The SCA had frequently worked with the contractor, who de Blasio said "had a great reputation."
