PIKE COUNTY, Ohio — The Scioto Valley Local School District has released details regarding the building of a new school in Pike County.
The Board of Education in May 2019 voted to close and quarantine Zahn’s Corner Middle School after the detection of radioactive material in an air monitor stationed at the school. The district said students were then relocated to the elementary and high school buildings.
Senators Sherrod Brown and Joe Manchin and Representatives Tim Ryan and Marcy Kaptur worked to secure funding for the new school.
“Building a new middle school is our top priority,” said SVLSD Superintendent Wes Hairston. “The Board did the right thing when they closed Zahn’s Corner Middle School, as any level of contamination on or near a school increases health risks and is unacceptable. Our students and staff deserve a safe place to learn.”
The Scioto Valley Local School District says the new middle school will be a 54,000-square-foot building “designed to provide students in grades 4-6 with access to new technologies and innovative, STEM-based instruction.” The facility will also have the space to expand and an additional 50,000-square-foot to accommodate PreK-3rd grade students.
The exact location of the new school has not been announced, but officials did say it will be located within the “Village of Piketon’s Scioto Valley-Piketon Area Education District.”