Fort Worth school relocates students after cracks found in 90-year-old building

Fox - 4 News
14 followers
Nov 9, 2026
Hundreds of Fort Worth families are preparing for a major chain
after maintenance crews found a crack
in the walls at South High Mountain Elementary.
Yeah, and now students and staff
are preparing to move to a new building.
T.C. Mazinga live this morning there to explain what's next.
T.C.
Good morning, guys. Yeah, the 90-year-old building needs a big fix-up,
and the district says that it doesn't want to take any chances because,
of course, the safety of students and staff always comes first.
What we do know is that this all happened on last Tuesday,
where those crews found
Cracks inside the building indicating movement
on the northeast end of the campus.
Now, the main office and four classrooms are impacted.
So, for the next few weeks, students and staff will now be teaching
and learning in a safer part of the building.
But then after Thanksgiving break, everyone
at South High Mount Elementary will relocate five miles away to the
former Western Hills Primary where the campus is currently vacant.
This could cause a big headache for families out there.
But Superintendent Dr. Peter Licata says that the district is
The district is also looking to get
a second opinion from a separate engineering firm.
These are children's lives, you know,
we have to make decisions very quickly, and adults.
I know there's some room on that campus, but it's not enough room
to keep it safe and keep children away in case something does happen.
The district added two student holidays, November 20th and November
30th, to give staff time to pack and prepare for the new campus.
As students are expected to return to class Tuesday,
December 1st at Western Hills Primary,
details about transportation, arrival,
and dismissal will be announced soon.
So as for the parents who may have questions out there,
there will be a meeting this afternoon, Monday at 5.30 p.m.,
all happening out at the elementary school
at South Highmount Elementary School.
Again, 5.30 p.m. at the cafeteria
for parents out there that have questions.
For Good Day, I'm Tizia Muzenga.
