New OKC elementary will add safe room

A safe room able to hold 600 students and faculty will be added to the first new school in the downtown Oklahoma City area in several decades.

Were still working through whether its going to be above ground or below ground, said Kirk Humphreys, board chairman at John W. Rex Charter Elementary School at N Walker and W Sheridan avenues.

The school is scheduled to be completed by the start of the 2014-15 school year, but timing on the safe room is not yet known, Humphreys said.

Construction began before deadly tornadoes hit central Oklahoma in May. After seeing the importance of having shelter during dangerous weather, school leaders made plans for the addition.

Still in the design phase, the safe room will be a separate structure by the playground. If a redesign of the school was possible, they may have included the safe room inside the building, Humphreys said. Given the schools stage of construction, this was the best alternative to insure students safety.

This $12 million, tuition-free, public charter school is being funded with a combination of MAPS for Kids money, other city funds and private donations, he said. The safe room is going to be paid for strictly with private donations and grants. An official cost of the safe room is yet to be determined.

When the school opens in August, it will offer pre-K through second-grade classes. It will have 280 spots available the first year, and it will add a grade level every year up to the sixth-grade. At that time, the school will hold about 500 students.

Boundary and enrollment

The general attendance boundary for JRCES is NW and NE 13th St. to the north, the Oklahoma River to the south, Lottie Ave to the east and N Western Ave to the west. Any child living in this attendance boundary is considered first priority and will be enrolled if they apply, Humphreys said.

Second priority is children living in the Oklahoma City Public Schools district, third is children living outside the OKCPS district with a parent or guardian working in the JRCES attendance boundary and lastly is everyone else, he said.

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New OKC elementary will add safe room