ASHTABULA, Ohio (WOIO) – After school was canceled for Tuesday due to snow, the rest of the week is in limbo.

Lisa Newsome, principal of Ashtabula Area City Schools, said she received a call from the fire department Sunday that the ceiling at Lakeside High School was leaking and there were holes in the roof.

“I’ve never seen so much snow in such a short amount of time,” said Saybrook Fire Chief John Jyurovat.

More than 30 inches of snow has fallen in Ashtabula County since Thursday night. In some areas visibility is up to 50 inches.

“I have almost 4 1/2 feet of snow in my driveway,” Newsome said. “So the amount of snow on the roof was very, very large.”

Newsome received a call Monday morning that Lakeside’s roof had partially collapsed around 1 a.m. after being forced to hold on to all the snow.

The damage is quite extensive, but there is no word on details or when repairs might begin.

“It affects the entire academic wing,” Newsome said.

This means there is no safe place for students to learn.

“We’re looking at different options for ourselves,” Newsome said.

On Monday afternoon, employees met for a meeting to discuss options.

Newsome says virtual learning was an idea.

“I want to learn in school, I want them to be face to face with these teachers,” Newsome said.

Other ideas that were scrapped included students reporting to other schools or using local businesses and churches.

“I want to make sure teachers are supported and have time to plan for it,” Newsome said.

No decisions have been made yet about how high school students will continue their education.

“Nobody ever expected this,” Newsome said. “This is a disaster for us.”

Newsome also told 19 News that the sport will continue.

They rearranged the basketball schedule so that all games were played away.

All other winter sports will also remain and use other rooms for practice and competition.

Asked if removing snow from the roof was a priority, Newsome said they would have to wait until an engineer deemed the building safe.

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