Groff Elementary closed this week after electrical incident

MOSES LAKE – Groff Elementary School students will be attending classes from home this week after an electrical problem caused an unidentified person to be shocked on campus. Moses Lake School District Director of Communications Ryan Shannon said the person’s identity and exact condition could not be disclosed due to privacy regulations. 

“Based off an abundance of caution and wanting to make sure that we address those kinds of issues and make those repairs, the decision was made by the district to close (the Groff campus) for the week, taking a conservative approach, closing for the five days to ensure that we have ample time to go in, assess the situation, get the necessary parts and make repairs,” Shannon said. 

Groff students will have remote classes this week with instructional materials and Chromebooks or homework packets distributed at an as-yet-unspecified time Tuesday. Parents and students will be provided updates through social media and email as details are set.  

Families may also pick up free meals in the Groff bus lane between 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., according to a statement on the Groff Facebook page. Additionally, students who take a bus from Groff to another campus will have no changes to their bus schedules.  

Parents are welcome to take their children directly to their NOVA program site, but arrangements have been made to assist in that transportation. Third grade NOVA students may meet the bus at Groff at 10:45 a.m. each day and pick their child up at 2:35 p.m. and will not need to enter the building. Fourth grade NOVA students can meet the bus at Groff at 9:35 a.m. Wednesday and parents can pick their children up at 2:25 p.m.  Fifth graders will be picked up at Groff at 9:35 a.m. Friday and returned to the campus for parental pick-up at 2:25 p.m. that day. Students will not enter the Groff building during this time and should plan to dress appropriately for the weather. 

A similar situation occurred in April of last year. Shannon said the electrical problems are associated with contractual issues the district has been working through with the general contractor at Groff. The roughly $27 million facility opened in September 2021 and was paid for with bond funding approved by district voters in 2017.  The construction contract was awarded to Richland-based Fowler General Construction. 

The district has also discussed concerns about the quality of work and final requirements for the construction of Vanguard Academy by Absher Construction. The district discussed remedies for that contract during the Nov. 21, 2024, Moses Lake School Board meeting.  

Shannon said the district will be referring to requirements in the contract with Fowler to ensure any deficiencies in the building, especially those associated with student and staff safety, are promptly addressed.  

“We continue to navigate that existing contract and making sure that everything that is within that contract is fulfilled, and I think that this is just one of those items that go back to that agreement and making sure that everything is followed,” he said.  

    A look at Groff Elementary while it was still under construction and electrical and digital infrastructure were still being installed by Fowler Construction. District staff have said they have concerns with some of the work done by the contractor and are working with Fowler through the existing construction contract to address those issues.