Days before school, McLane teachers must start over

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The hallway is flooded, the ceiling caved in, and debris is scattered everywhere. That’s the damage facing teachers and staff after a fire broke out at McLane Middle School over the weekend.

Investigators believe a lightning strike caused the fire that sent flames shooting from the roof of the building Friday night. 

Teachers had just finished preparing the classrooms in that building for the beginning of the school year. They are now out of hundreds of dollars in supplies they paid for out of their own pockets. 

“We always come together in our time of need. I believe in that. And I believe that's what we're built to do and we're going to have a great school year,” Principal Dina Langston insisted.

The district is giving each teacher a $1,000 stipend to cover the cost of supplies they lost. 

There were also about $62,000 worth of laptops in that building that were destroyed.

School starts three weeks from Monday.