Lawrence School District receives nearly $13 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency

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Nearly $13 million in federal money was awarded to the Lawrence School District for building repairs that occurred when Hurricane Sandy ripped through the East Coast on Oct. 29, 2012.

A majority of the storm damage happened at Lawrence High School that resulted in the Cedarhurst building being closed for nearly three months and shifting roughly 900 students to two other district school buildings.

The money exactly — $12,948,307.94 — is administered through the U.S, Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency. “These federal funds will help make Lawrence High School’s infrastructure stronger than before, without leaving local taxpayers and the school district on the hook for these expenses,” U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said in a news release.


Water from a tributary of Jamaica Bay washed into the high school’s crawl space and brought with it roughly 140 yards of debris. Several miles of electrical wiring became corroded and boilers were rendered inoperable. The auditorium was severely damaged and when the building did reopen the air quality had to be monitored.

“Lawrence is looking forward to this funding that will continue to allow us to improve the conditions for teaching and learning,” Superintendent Dr. Ann Pedersen stated in the release.

This story will be expanded into a more comprehensive article.