Inspectors to check out newly constructed schools

EAST PALESTINE -- State and local fire inspectors will spend Monday and Tuesday testing the hundreds of fire alarms and smoke detectors at East Palestine high school and middle school.
Superintendent Jeff Richardson said the state will not permit staff and pupils to move into the newly constructed areas until the fire protection systems have passed inspection.
Richardson said testing the fire alarms is a two-day job because there are so many smoke alarms and fire alarm pull stations in the buildings.
"There will be fire alarms going off about every three seconds," Richardson said. "Since we have central air conditioning, there are smoke detectors every few feet in the air conditioning ducts, and all of those have to be tested."
The first day of classes for pupils is Sept. 7. School officials delayed the opening of school one week while work crews put the finishing touches on the middle school-high school construction.
Richardson said there are new media and technology centers and four new classrooms in the high school area and three new classrooms in the middle school area.
Teachers who will occupy the new classrooms are waiting to be allowed in to organize their new areas, Richardson said.
Among the new classrooms are four new science labs, two each in the middle school and high school areas.