by Michele Catahay, KUAM NewsMonday, March 24, 2008 Subscribe to Michele's newsfeed
Apparently, although Attorney General Alicia Limtiaco during a briefing Monday evening announced that as a result of today's re-inspection of the Santa Rita campus of Southern High School she will not lift the suspension of the Guam Public School System's sanitary permit, which was revoked more than a week ago. Despite additional concerns that have been raised, GPSS superintendent Luis Reyes believes officials can address all of the AG's additional issues by tonight and hopes to have the school open by Tuesday.Reyes stated to KUAM News that no decision has been made yet on whether classes will be held at Southern High on Tuesday, saying he hopes to have all the additional concerns addressed sometime this evening. He adds they will call inspectors at the Department of Public Health to conduct another re-inspection when they are done with hopes of getting the all-clear to resume classes tomorrow. Reyes says he will distribute a press release to local media outlets when a final decision is made.Southern High was shut down by the Attorney General's Office on March 14 for several safety and sanitary violations leading to their sanitary permit being revoked by Public Health. The additional concerns noted by the task force include a leak in two 500 gallon tanks storing chlorine for the swimming pool. The AG remarked that this is a safety hazard, and as such GPSS has called in contractor GRESCO, who handled the removal of hazardous materials, to work through the night and address the leaks. The AG also noted standing water in various areas of the school, as well as safety concerns in the area of the campus housing the Guam Community College's satellite automotive program.