Somerville school to remain closed rest of year after building deemed unfit

Students will be relocated to several buildings in the area beginning Thursday, and programming will be provided in the interim.

Winter Hill Community Innovation School in Somerville will remain closed for the rest of the school year and classes will be relocated after a piece of concrete fell into a stairwell in the school while it was empty last week, officials said Sunday night.

The incident led to a review from a structural engineer, revealing that the building could not fully accommodate students and faculty for the rest of the year, Somerville Public Schools said in a statement.

Following this inspection, classes were canceled Friday and scheduled to resume Thursday in new locations, according to the statement.

Winter Hill’s AIM (Adapt, Include, Motivate) program for students with autism will relocate less than 1 mile away to the Edgerly Building, with existing transportation being rerouted to shuttle students from Winter Hill to the new building and back for drop-off and pick-up.

Kindergarten and pre-kindergarten classes will relocate to the Capuano Early Childhood Center, also about 1 mile away. There is currently no plan in place for transportation to and from Winter Hill, officials said.

Grades 1-8 will be held in Tufts University’s Olin Hall, about 2 miles from Winter Hill. According to the plan, school buses will transport students from Winter Hill to Olin Hall at drop-off and pick-up times.

Families will not be able to drive students directly to Olin, and those who plan on driving in are encouraged to “park in surrounding Somerville neighborhoods and walk to Olin Hall,” officials said.

From Monday to Wednesday, while there are no classes being held, there will be arrangements for both food and recreational programming for Winter Hill students. Families will be able to pick up meals and snacks for their students between 7:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. at the City Hall Annex on those days, according to officials.

The plan also includes drop-in recreation programming by the Somerville Parks and Recreation Department. The programming will include meals and activities for students at the Founders Memorial Skating Rink from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

School Department officials will provide daily updates throughout the week, according to the statement. Families are encouraged to reach out to their students’ teachers with questions.