CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Hector A. Cafferata Elementary School sat bare boned and empty since Hurricane Ian severely damaged it in 2022 forcing teachers and students to use portables classrooms.
This past month, crews started to tear down what's left of the damaged Cape Coral school, and parents like Sophia Avila are happy to see it go.
"It's definitely been too long. It's definitely time for them to get a new school building and get the kids in a regular classroom," Avila said.
The past two years her son has gone to school in the temporary classrooms located right behind Cape Coral Technical College, next to the damaged school.
The demolition brings the Lee County school District one step closer to build the new school.
Find out when the school district plans to open the new school in Community Correspondent Ella Rhoades' report below:
Avila said, "I'm excited for them. I'm excited for the staff. I'm excited for the students, and I just want them to be more comfortable, so they can focus on their education."
However, the school won't be where it once stood or go by the same name.
The district said in April, they'll start construction for the new Hector A. Cafferata Jr. School.
The new school is seven minutes away from the original school at 214 NW 20th Ave for students in kindergarten through 8th grade.
Lee County Schools' Director of Planning and Growth Adam Molloy said they plan to hit the ground running.
"We're getting ready to hit that 16-month construction window, so we've gotten a lot through a lot of those challenges and hurtles to really start moving on the construction...We feel very secure in that timeline," Molloy said.
He added the school will include sixth through eighth grade due to population growth in the Burnt Store Road area. Molloy mentioned there will be slight rezoning with the nearby middle schools when the time comes.
Hector A. Cafferata students can expect to return to a real classroom in the fall of 2026 after four years at their temporary campus.
Molloy said, "While Hurricane Ian might've written a lot of that chapter...that opening will be the last sentence in that particular chapter as it relates to Hector Cafferata."
Parents said for a long time they didn't have many updates.
Now, with a date in mind for the new school, they can look forward.
Avila added, "I'll just be glad to see it finish. If they could speed it up, that would be great!"
Closing one chapter and soon writing a new one.
