Roof danger shuts Shoreham school

Students who attend Briarcliff Elementary School in the Shoreham-Wading River School District got a day off Monday when the school was closed due to a potential roof collapse, school officials said.

The 272 students, all kindergartners and first-graders, will have classes Tuesday but will be shuttled to one of the two other elementary schools in the district, officials said.

Briarcliff, in Shoreham, will be closed for at least a week for repairs. According to the district's website, employees discovered late last week that there were "disturbances in the ceiling tiles," and a further investigation found "structural stresses in some roof trusses (the supports that hold up the roof) and failure in one of the trusses."

The trusses must be shored up immediately, the website said. "Structural engineers cannot pinpoint exactly why the trusses became stressed, but believe this winter's heavy snow and wind events are likely contributors," the website said. "The roof trusses are made of wood, and the building is in excess of 50 years old. Recent inspections this fall during a routine building conditions study did not turn up any obvious structural deficiencies."

A meeting for parents was held Sunday afternoon, with about 200 in attendance, a spokeswoman said. The district has secured transportation for this morning.

Starting Tuesday, the four first-grade classes and two kindergarten classes will attend the Miller Avenue School, and the other six kindergarten classes will be bused to Wading River Elementary School.

The district said on the website children should be at bus stops at their normal times, but delays are likely. The district also discouraged parents from driving children to school.