Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Jenkins Middle School Safety Relocation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District 11 moves Jenkins Middle students to other schools after fire-safety review; long-term repairs budgeted
Summary
Following a December fire inspection that raised safety concerns tied to building settling, Superintendent Goll announced temporary relocations for Jenkins Middle School students beginning Jan. 23 and said the district will accelerate a long-planned capital project to fully repair the 7th–8th grade wing.
Superintendent Goll told the Board of Education during a special meeting that Jenkins Middle School will operate at two different campuses beginning Thursday, Jan. 23, while the district completes further safety assessments and plans long-term repairs.
The relocation will place Jenkins’ 6th-grade students at Russell Middle School and its 7th- and 8th-grade students at Doherty High School, Goll said. The district will close Jenkins, Russell and Doherty for at least the Tuesday and Wednesday following the holiday weekend to allow staff time to adapt schedules, move materials and prepare the receiving campuses. Two community information meetings were scheduled: a meeting at Doherty High School the following evening and another Jan. 22 at 6 p.m., Goll said.
Why it matters: The move affects roughly Jenkins’ student body and will disrupt transportation, schedules and extracurricular coordination for families and the two receiving schools. District leaders said the shift is intended to prioritize safety while preserving students’ instructional continuity.
What the district reported: Goll said the building’s 7th–8th grade wing has shown settling for years. The school, opened about 25 years ago, was built without an automatic sprinkler system and relies on passive fire-protection elements such as fire doors. A December fire inspection by the Colorado Springs Fire Department flagged long-term concerns related to settling that are beginning to compromise those passive systems.
Goll said the district has already budgeted funds in the 2027 capital plan to perform a major repair and renovation. After the inspection, the district and the fire department arranged for a third-party engineering assessment; Superintendent Goll said the firm has been “actively crawling through Jenkins” and that the district will accelerate repairs based on the firm’s recommendations. Board members said the capital allocation planned for 2027 will be moved up as needed and that funding is available to address the problem.
Operations and student supports: The district outlined operational supports for students and families, including moving teachers with their classes to the receiving sites (students remain rostered to Jenkins), planned orientation days at each receiving site, targeted counseling supports at the meetings and a logistics plan so staff will not be required to personally transport classroom materials. Transportation options for families who cannot transport students directly to the receiving campuses will be arranged; district staff will provide details as master schedules are finalized.
Board response and next steps: Board members and the superintendent repeatedly framed the action as a safety-first response to long-standing structural issues. Goll said the district expects to receive a written engineering report from the third-party firm as soon as the end of next week and will share it when available. The district also posted a Jenkins information page and scheduled multiple opportunities for parents to ask questions in person.
Ending: Superintendent Goll said the district aims to reopen Jenkins fully by August of next year after permanent repairs and pledged continued communication with families and staff while temporary relocations are in effect.
