HOUSTON, Texas – North Forest School District can add one more problem to its already lengthy list: Forest Brook High School can no longer open for school on Aug. 27 after a group of vandals damaged the school.
On the morning of July 17, intruders turned on fire hoses on the third floor of Forest Brook, causing massive water damage. School authorities estimate repairs could take two to three months.
During the interim period, Forest Brook students will take classes on the campus of rival M.B. Smiley High School. Board member Silvia Brooks Williams said the school should be only moderately strained. Smiley is designed to accommodate 2,000 students; approximately 2,100 will be attending in September. Sports teams will remain separate, and class rankings will remain unchanged.
Other troubles that have plagued the district include a whistle-blower lawsuit filed by the district’s interim police chief, the firing of Superintendent James Simpson, and the theft of $250,000 by two men who were later arrested.