VIDEO: McCarthy's 'Happy' Bubble-Filled Move to Fuller

Monday, McCarthy Elementary School kindergarten and first graders made their first trek to Fuller Middle School.

Staff and the McCarthy PTO made it a ”Happy” music playing adventure, complete with bubbles for the students.

McCarthy Vice Principal Jean Nolan led the students in a skipped-filled trek across Flagg Drive.

Last week during school vacation week, a pipe burst at the Framingham elementary school damaging a wing with 9 classrooms.

McCarthy was one of four schools that had a pipe burst causing damage during school vacation week, and one of five schools that had a pipe burst in February.

Framingham Patch was the first to report the news of the damage at the four schools.

On Friday, the decision was made not to open the damaged wing and move about 180 kindergarten and first grade students across the street to Fuller Middle School, where they would have their own wing and bathrooms.

The move may last until the end of the school year.

McCarthy Principal Matt Hanlon and Nolan made the walk to Fuller Middle with their students on Monday. The students will make the trek a couple of times daily.

Hanlon and Nolan have been updating parents with details of the move since last week.

A frequently asked questions Q&A was posted over the weekend, and emails have been sent to parents continuously throughout the process.

The McCarthy PTO has also been updating its Facebook page with details and keeping parents abreast of the continuous changes, through multiple methods. The PTO also has been conducting a book drive and a fundraising campaign to help teachers who lost items.

There is a meeting, run by the district’s central office, for parents tomorrow night, Feb. 24 at 7 in the Fuller auditorium.

Superintendent of Schools Stacy Scott made his first public comments about the move yesterday.

At Monday night’s School Committee meeting he called the move ‘Herculean.”

He also sent an email to parents whose child(ren) were displaced.

“Thank you for your understanding of the immediate need to move our kindergarten and first grade students from McCarthy Elementary School to Fuller Middle School to start school today. A transition of this nature is quite difficult with several months’ notice. To relocate the furniture and educational materials of middle school classrooms within a building and then to move 8 kindergarten and first grade classrooms across the street to a new location in a few days is nothing short of amazing. The water damage to the McCarthy School created this complex problem and the incredibly short window of time for us. The safety of our students and staff motivated us to succeed,” wrote Scott to parents.

“This move has tested the creativity of many staff members who continue to work collaboratively to anticipate the needs of all school community members. As we smooth out some of the finer details, we are confident that your children have safe classrooms with their same excellent teachers. We know that we have intact plans for transportation and lunch. We are positive that the people who work at both schools care about your children and will do whatever it takes to ensure that the students in the impacted grades will quickly regain a sense of routine and normalcy,” wrote Scott.

When the pipes burst Framingham Buildings & Grounds Director Matt Torti immediately said he was worried if McCarthy’s wing could re-open after school vacation.

On Tuesday afternoon, Torti called the situation “widespread” and “catastrophic.” He said the flooding and damage was nothing he has seen in his 16 years at the district. He said the district has had pipe issues in the past, but never to this extent.

On Wednesday, Framingham Assistant Superintendent of Schools told staff it was the district’s goal to have all classrooms ready to go on Monday.

But the Framingham Teachers Union was worried about the health and safety of students on Thursday.

“I am concerned. I don’t want the district to rush the decision, when the health and safety of the students and staff are at stake,” said Sarah McKeon, co-president of the union.

Torti also still had concerns, and had air-quality tests administered at both McCarthy and King elementary schools.

King opened on Monday, with one classroom closed.

McCarthy still has its B wing closed, and it may not open for the rest of the school year.

“Though the wing received a safe indoor air quality rating, there were elevated moisture readings and an accompanying smell that does not provide an appropriate environment for our students and staff,” according to an email sent to parents.

Damaged Framingham High will also re-open on Monday, but assessment and clean-up continues in the H (arts) wing.

Walsh Middle School’s guidance department was damaged when a “frost-free” pipe burst at that school, but it re-opened on Monday too.

Photos & video courtesy of McCarthy Elementary & its PTO.

Editor’s note: this video has been updated several times.