Galloway schools detail phased remediation and emergency relocations after Arthur Rand fire

Superintendent Steve Santelli told the Galloway Township Public School District Board on Feb. 9 that a Jan. 26 fire at Arthur Rand Elementary School was contained to one classroom but that smoke, not flames, is driving how much of the building must be remediated.

Santelli said the fire alarm went off around midnight on Jan. 26 and that first responders — including Galloway Township police and fire departments from Bayville, Bayview, Oceanville and Pomona — arrived quickly. "This isn't just an alarm. This is a real event," Santelli said, describing the initial response and repeated checks before the building was turned back to district staff.

Hillman Consulting, an industrial hygiene firm the district engaged, conducted air quality testing throughout the building. Santelli said approximately "90% of the bottom part of the building" tested unfavorable for re-entry, and that porous materials exposed to smoke must be removed and replaced. He said All Risk is performing daily remediation work and that the district is pursuing a phased approach that allows sections to be cleared and returned to use as air samples permit.

The board approved emergency agenda items authorizing the temporary reopening of Pomona School and the emergency relocation plan for Arthur Rand students. During a roll-call vote both measures passed with all members recorded as voting yes.

To keep students safe and limit family disruption, Santelli described where students were relocated: preschool and some classes moved to Roland Rogers, kindergarten through third grade operate on the GTMS campus, and grades 4—6 were placed at Pomona. The district preserved existing bus routes where possible and staggered arrival and dismissal times to reduce traffic congestion. Santelli described an ID-tag system to prevent student misplacement: preschoolers received pink tags, K— students blue tags and grades 4—6 yellow tags.

Santelli detailed other logistical steps: working with the joint insurance fund and an adjuster, arranging for custodial and facilities staff to transport classroom materials, coordinating nursing services and temporarily cleaning medication containers so families could retrieve essential medicines, and ensuring before- and after-care were resumed only when safety and staffing could be guaranteed.

Principal Ken Burardis, who addressed the board during public comment, thanked staff and volunteers and noted the scale of the relocation: "In a matter of days, we transitioned 670 students and more than 110 staff members." Burardis and others praised the districts food service, facilities and technology teams for rapidly making temporary sites operational.

Santelli cautioned that remediation timelines are vendor-dependent and that the district would not overpromise dates; air quality clearance would determine how quickly classrooms could be returned. He also said the district is managing calendar changes to ensure Arthur Rand students meet New Jerseys 180-day requirement.

The board did not set a targeted re-entry date at the meeting: Santelli said further communications would follow as air sampling and remediation progress.

Next steps: the district will continue phased remediation guided by Hillman Consulting's air sampling, coordinate possessions pickup through All Risk, and issue further parent communications through the district Arthur Rand web page and FAQ postings.