Officials in Wolfe County are waiting for answers from investigators after the Dessie Scott School was destroyed in a fire last week. Arson investigators were on the scene Monday, and insurance investigators are expected on the scene Tuesday.
Robert Creech is the principal of the Dessie Scott School. He said no students were in the school when it caught fire, and no injuries have been reported. Creech said the loss of the school is taking a toll on the students.
“Any time you're in a total loss of a school, it's going to be tough. Our first priority is to help our kids and try to get them back in there so they don't have to worry about it,” he said. “They have enough to worry about on their own living there, so we want to make sure we get them back on track.”
The school sits across the road from the Dessie Scott Children's Home. It serves 24 students with various disabilities from across the state. The home was not damaged in the fire.
Creech said they are working on converting another building on campus into a classroom for students.
“Right now, as a school, we're going to use another building on campus to do a makeshift school to get our kids back going, get some normalcy back to them. They're awful tore up about losing their school,” he said.
Wolfe County Schools are currently closed due to icy conditions, but Creech said they should have the new classroom setup ready by the time schools reopen.
Creech said the school and home also act as a therapy campus for the students who attend.
