After a devastating fire at a southern Delaware school, district and state leaders focus on recovery

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More than 600 students were displaced this week as they were either forced to stay home from school or sent to another care facility, due to a Sunday morning fire that left Lulu M. Ross Elementary School in Milford uninhabitable and severely damaged.

The southern Delaware school will remain closed for the foreseeable future.

State, local and school district officials toured the school’s damaged campus Tuesday afternoon while the scent of soot and ash still filled the air.

Despite seeing a collapsed roof and “complete devastation” left in the fire’s wake, Delaware’s Secretary of Education Cindy Marten said she began to picture the school’s hallways before a press conference took place. She said she imagined children walking through the door, with the school decorated for Halloween.

“The pictures in my head were all of the physical spaces, but then I held in my heart the learning and the relationships between the teachers and the students and the principal, who has such a heart,” Marten said. “Love is in the details, and the physical structure is burned in a horrifically devastating way, but the heart of the school is untouched.”

At the presser at Lulu Ross, Gov. Matt Meyer said that the state “will spare no cost” and is working to do as much as possible to help the school’s community.

“We recognize that there are kids who come to Lulu Ross every day … this is their only source of stability,” he said. “This may be their only source of food, and we’re working very hard.”

Kimberly Webb, the school’s principal, thanked the community in Milford and throughout Delaware for the support the school has received. She said the past week has been heartbreaking and challenging for the school, but that the collective Ross family’s “hearts are incredibly full.”

“Ross has never been defined by the walls of our building,” Webb said. “Ross has been defined by the people who fill those walls with love. It is our extraordinary staff who show up every day and pour their hearts into our children. It is our students, whose smiles, laughter and joy, make Ross, Ross.”

What happened to Lulu M. Ross Elementary School?

A fire alarm at the school went off around 4:15 a.m. on Sunday. Crews, including the Carlisle and Georgetown fire companies, responded to the call, finding fire coming from the roof of the school. It took responders about three hours to put it out.

When Milford School District Superintendent Travis Moorman saw the school on fire early that morning, he said it was “very distressing.”

“All you can think about is, ‘What are we going to do with our kids? How is this going to impact our kids? How is this going to impact our teachers and our staff and those individuals that show up every day and put every ounce of effort and heart into what’s best for kids?’” Moorman said.

Crews responded to another fire at the school Monday morning, according to the Carlisle Fire Company’s logs.

The fire severely damaged the school’s library, main lobby, front offices and several classrooms, according to Milford School District officials.

Lulu M. Ross Elementary School opened in 1957 and was named after a teacher who taught in the Milford School District for 50 years. State Rep. Bryan Shupe, R-Milford, attended the school as a student.

“God refines us through fire,” Shupe said during Tuesday’s press conference. “In this case, a literal fire that happened to our school, that is going to strengthen our community.”

U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride, as well as U.S. Sens. Chris Coons and Lisa Blunt Rochester, have all made statements expressing sympathy toward the school community.

The district announced Sunday afternoon that there would be no school for Lulu Ross students through Friday, and no in-person or remote instruction. Moorman said at the press conference that students’ laptops were inside the building when the fire happened.

“Remote learning is one of the things that you think about in trying to continue to engage with our students when you put them out of school for five days, but that was not feasible for us in this particular circumstance,” Moorman said.

Mispillion Elementary School, which is located on the same campus as Lulu Ross, was also closed Monday out of caution. Though Mispillion was not physically damaged, the two schools’ shared resources were affected, including the internet and phone lines. Mispillion students returned to class Tuesday after fiber-optic connectivity was repaired.

Lulu Ross also was planned to serve as a polling location for the upcoming midterm election. The state’s Department of Elections announced that the polling place would be relocated to Mispillion instead.

The Delaware State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire. Officials said there is currently no evidence of criminal activity, and that no injuries were reported.

Milford City Council passed a resolution to waive permit fees for potentially rebuilding the school at their meeting this week. At this time, there is no cost estimate for repairs. Moorman said assessments for the building will start soon.

“The state is working with us to try to make that determination and assessment of what the damage costs will be, the costs of mitigation, of any chemicals or any asbestos that might be in the building, and then looking at whether or not the building will be renovated or completely rebuilt,” he said. “All of those decisions are still further down the road at this point.”

The district has a general fund that collects revenue through taxes, which Moorman said would be committed to the project if required. But he said he hopes that with help from the Department of Education, “local funding may not have to be used in this sense.”

Gov. Meyer said the state is prepared to provide additional financial assistance if repairs to schools cost more than local resources can handle.

Recovery and next steps

The Milford School District was able to establish hub spots for students and families to receive meals while the school is closed, with the help of the Food Bank of Delaware. The school district will be providing meal bags, which come with lunch and breakfast, for the following morning.

According to the food bank, teachers will be handing out the meals throughout the week from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Distribution locations can be found at the Food Bank of Delaware’s Milford location, Morris Early Childhood Center in Lincoln and the Ellendale Fire Hall.

“Our goal is to try to help [families] feel some sort of sustainability and some regularity as far as what they’re used to receiving in support and resources,” Moorman said.

Lulu Ross is a Community Eligibility School, as all students are considered eligible for free meals.

Alongside the distributions, Moorman said the district will expand the school’s backpack program to all Lulu Ross students. The program provides students with snacks and meals on Friday to last through the weekend.

Some organizations, like Reformation Lutheran Church, have also offered day care services to families while the school is closed.

Students are expected to return to class next week, but not to the Lulu Ross campus. Sixth graders from Milford Middle School will relocate to Milford Central Academy.

In a statement, Moorman said that it should leave room for the elementary school’s second-, third- and fourth-grade students to temporarily move into the middle school.

Staff from all three schools have been notified of the plan, and Moorman said that the district “will continue to share the details regarding the time and effort it will take for them to relocate their materials and supplies.” He noted that the district understood that the plan requires a short turnaround, and that it may place pressure on staff who will be relocating their classrooms, as well.

In addition, the district is still figuring out how the relocation might impact scheduling and student services. However, Moorman said that they hope to cause as little disruption as possible.

“This happened in the middle of the school year,” Moorman told WHYY News. “Obviously, if it was during the summer break, we would have a lot more time and flexibility to methodically go through this process, but with kids missing instruction, and missing those social-emotional supports, we feel very strongly that we need to get them back in as soon as possible.”

Milford Middle School was renovated and reopened last year after it was closed in 2012. Moorman said that the new school is able to accommodate more than 1,100 students, and with only about 700 students currently enrolled, it’s more flexible for Lulu Ross students to attend.

It was also important to the district to keep all of the displaced students in one location so there is a sense of unity among the student body. Moorman said he believed that would also be beneficial to their social and emotional well-being.

“There’s no greater social exposure and social connection than in a public school,” he said. “Principal Webb and her staff here at Ross have created a phenomenal climate, and culture, and systems of support for the students on a consistent basis, and I know they’re excited to see their kids.”

The district announced Wednesday that school will be closed for Milford Middle School and Milford Central Academy students Friday. In a statement, Moorman wrote that it will help affected teachers and staff prepare to move their supplies and materials to new classroom spaces.

Volunteers from the Department of Education and Delaware State Education Association will help teachers with the transition. Teachers and staff will also be able to access facilities over the weekend to prepare. Friday’s closure will not impact middle school spots or the academy’s planned dance.

For transportation, the district is finalizing plans for any changes happening for buses between Milford Middle School and Milford Central Academy.

“These changes will include the use of buses to shuttle students between the two schools to minimize mass disruptions to the current transportation schedule,” Moorman said in Wednesday’s statement.

Transportation changes or reassignments should be available to parents by Friday.

The Milford School District and state agencies have also been working to provide mental health resources to staff, students and families who may be dealing with trauma relating to the fire. School staff have also been providing support to families directly.

“They have been reaching out directly to all of our families and students who attend Lulu Ross and checking in on them and asking them, ‘What do you need? What kind of resources do you need?’” he said.

Moorman said that from what he’s heard from families, students are eager to return to class and see their classmates and teachers.

The Milford School District has partnered with United Way of Delaware to help manage donations and support from local community members and organizations. The district has created an FAQ document with information on who to contact for donations.

Monetary donations will be accepted by the Buccaneer Educational Foundation, a nonprofit supporting the Milford School District. Individuals making donations are cautioned to verify which organization they are sending money to.

“We have been made aware of several scams and questionable requests to try to capitalize on our tragedy. Only donate to organizations that you know are legitimate or directly to the United Way or BEF,” Moorman said.

Secretary Marten said the state Department of Education is working with the district on identifying needed resources, and is trying not to burden them with unnecessary items.

“We are setting up the appropriate ways to give the school the help that they need,” she said. “Let them tell us what they need.”

Marten said that the department is anticipating items or options that the district may not have thought of, and is working to make them available. That includes helping find replacement classroom materials and technology, pursuing federal emergency funding and assisting with financial questions the district staff may have.

The department has also sent teams to help the district with instruction, facilities, technology, transportation, finance and student services.

Moorman said that the district will continue to provide daily updates on recovery efforts.

Editor’s Note: This article was updated following publication to include new information on the transition and transportation to an alternate schooling location for Lulu M. Ross Elementary School students, as well as new information for providing donations.