HENRICO, Va. (WTVR)--Students at Tuckahoe Elementary School have been home for most of the week after their building caught fire this past weekend.
However, they’re heading back to class Thursday, for a second "first day" of school.
Hundreds of Tuckahoe parents and students packed the gym at Short Pump Middle School on Wednesday night. They had an orientation at the new school to familiarize themselves with the spot that will be headquarters for at least three weeks.
School administrators answered questions about transportation, class schedules and addressed concerns about safety.
There are nearly 800 students already housed at Short Pump Middle School. The population will now nearly double with Tuckahoe’s 680 students.
“We are under or right at capacity,” says Deputy Superintendent for Henrico County Public Schools, Patrick Kinlaw. He tells CBS 6 that Short Pump Middle was chosen because it is one of the only buildings in the county that could safely house both student bodies.
“Short Pump Middle School was built many years ago when the concept was to build middle schools much larger than we do today,” says Kinlaw.
School leaders and county police are urging people who live near Short Pump Middle School to be cautious because there will be a lot of traffic at the beginning and end of the school day.
