Kathleen students won't have to make up tornado days

KATHLEEN, Fla. - Monday was a big day at Kathleen Middle School in Polk County. Kids went back to class for the first time since a tornado hit their school.

Crews have been busy since then, making repairs to the roof and other damaged areas inside the building. That work is expected to continue for up to a year.

“I know it is going to take a while to get everything back the way it needs to be,” said parent Angela Glover, whose 13-year-old is a student at Kathleen.

“It was kinda hard because we both work, so we had to have somewhere for her to go during the day,” Added Angela’s husband, Fred.

Their daughter ended up staying at her grandmother’s house.

The superintendent made an announcement that may make coming back easier: The kids will not have to make up the lost days because she says they have already been through enough.

Still, the process will be long and difficult.

“No one is trained for something like this,” Kathleen Middle Principal Sheila Gregory said.

“I’d like to thank the businesses, the churches, the parents, the students, just everyone coming together as one to help Kathleen re-build,” said Yolanda Webster, a teacher whose room was among the hardest hit.