School leaders left scrambling after tree struck by lightning falls through roof of preschool

Logan MacDonald
·2 min read

There was panic at a preschool in Jacksonville’s Arlington area when a massive tree came crashing through the roof during Friday’s storms.

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“We heard this little click sound, and like, the teacher said, ‘Is that lightning?,’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, gotta be.’ Then we heard a boom, and by the time we heard the boom, the ceiling was coming in,” said Priscilla Strother, the owner of Kids Learning Zone.

That’s when Strother and her staff at the Kids Learning Zone jumped into action. Strother had to get the children to safety, including her own 1-and-a-half-year-old son.

“We’re looking at the kids, and the teacher is falling towards me because she’s trying to grab a child. I’m trying to grab a child,” Strother recounted. “I finally get the kids outside all to realize the wires are smoking.”

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Luckily, Strother and her teachers were able to get the children to safety without anyone getting hurt thanks to the heroics of teachers like Faith Boss.

“I was moving fast, but also kind of, you know, afraid for my kids, like, what kind of danger and assess that,” Boss told Action News on Saturday.

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Now, following the shocking incident and that massive tree being sent right through the roof of the Kids Learning Zone during Friday’s storms, the building has been condemned, leaving school leaders trying to figure out what to do next.

“Going forward, we’re going to be temporarily working in the other building, which is our infant building. We’re just going to try to make it into a combination of a preschool and infant program,” said Strother. “Of course, we left a lot of supplies back in the building because once the city condemned it, we only had 3 to 4 to 5 minutes to get supplies.”

Strother plans on starting a GoFundMe for those interested in donating to the recouping of those school supplies. CLICK HERE to donate.

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