1 rebuilt school, 1 expanded school, welcome Duval students on the first day of classes

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The newly rebuilt Jean Ribault High School in Northwest Jacksonville experienced a power outage on the first day of school on Monday morning.

Around 7:20 a.m., JEA told News4JAX that power had been fully restored — just in time to welcome students on their first day of school.

News4JAX captured a loud pop and sparks flying off a power line, followed by a flash before the entire area went dark around 6 a.m.

Press play above to watch the video

The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department told News4JAX the issue seemed to be related to electrical arcing, which occurs when electricity jumps a gap between two conductors, creating a spark and intense heat.

JEA said the issue was reported as a “damaged power pole,” but the cause of the outage is still unclear.

“We’re going to get beyond this. We will be OK. Once the power is on, we will be up and running,” Principal Gregory D. Bostic told News4JAX when the power went out.

Jean Ribault High School has a brand new look to start the upcoming school year after it was torn down and rebuilt.

Ribault is the first new high school built under the half-penny sales tax.

“There’s so much pride in this school. If you know anything about Jean Ribault, you know that the alum come in force. Not just athletic events, but to support the students,” school board member Darryl Willie said Friday.

Willie said nearly 1,500 kids are going to experience the $58 million, 234,000-square-foot campus. As an additional benefit for students, VyStar Credit Union also opened its on-campus branch, where students can learn financial literacy.