MEMPHIS, Tenn. — For the second time in as many years, parents endured an early dismissal at Cummings K-8 in the midst of an emergency this week.
It happened when a student shot a classmate in September 2021. A ceiling collapse that injured a librarian happened this week.
For parents, it’s critical their students have a safe evacuation in the event of another emergency, but records call that into question.
The WREG investigators obtained the most recent inspections of the Memphis-Shelby County school, as performed by the Memphis Fire Prevention Bureau. According to the paperwork, the school failed 20 of the nearly 50 items on the inspector’s checklist.
The issues ranged from the fire alarm not working to blocked hallways and doors.
“I wonder is the rest of the building ok? So there is some concerns about that,” parent Cherrica Hayes said.
As far as the rest of the report, fire officials found the school had dangerous, combustible materials in rooms where it didn’t belong. In fact, the inspector told staff to “remove open flame candles” from the building.
The school also got bad marks for electrical safety; inspectors wrote extension cords and panels created dangers to students.
The January 2022 inspection does require a plan of corrective action.
MSCS officials confirmed Friday afternoon they executed a corrective action plan and promised to send more information Monday.