Journeys Lutheran School hopes to open early Sept. following $1 million in flood damages

HALES CORNERS, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A Hales Corners school says its students will not be able to return to school for at least two weeks because of flood damage.

As southeastern Wisconsin continues to grapple with the damage devastating floodwaters have left behind, for families of Journeys Lutheran School, the impact will be felt for weeks to come. 

“They have suffered upwards of a million dollars in damages and that is devastating for a school like this,” said State Rep. Bob Donovan.

Students at Journeys Lutheran say they hope local fundraising efforts will help them get back inside their school.

“As a mom of a special needs student, there’s not many places for my son,” said Stacey Nowak, a Journeys Lutheran School parent. 

The school, which serves 126 students with disabilities, won’t be able to open until September 8th. 

“For a child who has special needs where planning is key, we have been planning for the first day of school and to have that kind of chaos thrown into our schedule has been tough,” said Nowak. 

Xavier Nowak is just one of those students who wants to get back to learning.

“I just want to get back in and see my friends and see my teachers. I love this place,” said Xavier Nowak. 

That's why Xavier says he’s donating money from his allowance to the school to help with repairs. He's asking his community to find their own ways to help so that every child can return to their classroom. 

"Situations will make you or they will break you. And we have decided this is going to make us. We’re gonna watch the community come together. We’re gonna do all that we as a family can do,” said Nowak. 

School staff say a volunteer cleanup event will be held next Monday.  If you would like to contribute to the school’s GoFundMe to help with repairs, you can find it here. 

“I want school to start again and I want it to be safe for everyone,” said Xavier.