Updates from Milford School District have been issued daily after a devastating fire caused extensive damage to Lulu Ross Elementary School, displacing over 600 students and 100 staff members. The district announced Tuesday that sixth graders would be moved to Milford Central Academy while Ross students in grades two through five would attend Milford Middle School.
“As announced yesterday, we are preparing Milford Middle School and Milford Central Academy for significant changes in grade configurations,” Superintendent Travis Moorman said in the Wednesday announcement. “To remind everyone, all 6th graders will be attending Milford Central Academy and all students from Lulu Ross will be attending Milford Middle School starting Monday, November 2, 2026.”
In order to accelerate this preparation, the district must close school for students in grades 5 – 8 on Friday, October 30, 2026, to provide the time that affected teachers and staff need to pack and prepare to move their materials and resources.
“We will have volunteers from the Department of Education and Delaware State Education Association available to assist teachers with packing and setting up in these locations,” Moorman said. “Teachers and staff in these schools will have access to the facilities over the weekend to work with volunteers as they prepare their new learning environments for students. Again, we will be closing school for Milford Middle School and Milford Central Academy only on Friday, October 30, 2026, to allow our teachers and staff to prepare materials for relocation. All middle school sports and the MCA dance will proceed as planned.”
Transportation plans are still being finalized as and details will be provided regarding the changes that are occurring with buses between MMS and MCA.
“I can tell you this evening that these changes will include the use of buses to shuttle students between the two schools to minimize mass disruptions to the current transportation schedule,” Moorman said. “Parents should be able to log into the Infinite Campus Parent Portal to see any transportation changes and/or reassignments on Friday.”
The district has also partnered with the United Way of Delaware to help with the incredible amount of donations and pledges of support from community members and organizations. They have created an FAQ document with specific information and links that will guide community members and organizations to the points of contact for donations.
“Our community can also provide monetary donations to the Buccaneer Educational Foundation, which is a non-profit organization that supports the students and staff of the Milford School District,” Moorman said. “I caution our community when making donations to verify the validity of the organizations requesting funds. We have been made aware of several scams and questionable requests to try to capitalize on our tragedy. Only donate to organizations that you know are legitimate or directly to the United Way or BEF.”
Moorman closed his message by thanking those who had offered to help in this time of tragedy.
“I would like to close my message by recognizing the teachers and staff of both Milford Middle School and Milford Central Academy. As a result of our decision to return our Ross students to MMS, many employees have been involuntary displaced during a critical time of the school year,” Moorman said. “Our teachers work hard to develop relationships and build their school identity together, and this decision has had a significant impact on the staff and students at both schools. While we welcome our Ross students back, let’s make sure we recognize and thank MMS and MCA for the difficult changes they must make to accommodate this decision. Let’s not forget that We Are Still Milford!”
