SEFFNER, FL -- It's a tight squeeze at McDonald Elementary School today. They've had to place 475 students into 20 classrooms, the media center, and anywhere else they can find space after fifteen classrooms were damaged by a weekend fire.
Kindergarten teacher Kathryn Laubach is one of three teachers using the media center to teach students under difficult conditions. "The hardest thing is keeping the kids under control," Laubach said. "They're scared. A lot of them have been asking about the fire."
The fire broke out this weekend in a kindergarten classroom, but smoke and soot damaged 14 other rooms in the pod that houses grades K-2. The Hillsborough County fire marshal has not determined the cause of the fire, although investigators said it appears accidental.
Principal Dave McMeen says the teachers are facing their own problems. Many spent thousands of dollars of their own money for teaching supplies and resources. Those supplies are lost. There is no insurance for the items to be replaced.
