PLACENTIA : Valencia High Copes With Effects of Fire
Teachers and administrators getting ready for the first day of school at Valencia High School face an additional challenge this year: Half of the school’s administrative wing and hundreds of student records were destroyed in an arson fire in late July.
Although all of the records can be re-created from computer data not destroyed in the fire, Principal George Allen said, it will take months.
“Dealing with the fire damage certainly has complicated the process of registering students and working out schedules,” Allen said.
The July 29 fire destroyed the wing that housed the school’s counselor, two social workers, a psychologist and one of two assistant principals.
Mike Bailey, director of facilities for the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, said that about 4,800 square feet of office space was destroyed.
Most of the records lost were discipline files that will be re-created as needed, Allen said.
Rebuilding is expected to begin this week. The project will take about four months and cost about $400,000.
Temporary facilities have been set up for the displaced staff.
Police and fire investigators have determined that the fire was deliberately set, but they have no suspects.
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