SPANISH FORT, Ala. — Heads are bent down in concentration as students read from a text book on their desks while a teacher quietly gives instructions. Across the way, small hands shoot up in eagerness to give an answer to a math question. It’s business as usual at Spanish Fort Elementary — the only difference is where they are leaning is just a temporary school home.

Since late-December, the elementary school has been temporarily closed due to the finding of lead in the paint on some school structures. Arrangements had to be made to continue educating students from Baldwin County’s eighth largest school.

“All schools have crisis plans and update them regularly,” school board spokesman Terry Wilhite said.

Students have been temporarily located to Faith Family Church, Bay Community Church and Spanish Fort United Methodist Prodisee Center.

“Spirits have been high,” Principal Rebecca Comer said. “At first, it was a big adventure or maybe like a field trip. And now it it just school.”

Comer said during a recent walk through of facilities that the students appear to be happy at the temporary locations even though the newness has worn off. The success of the smooth transition should be given to the teachers because “they have created classrooms,” she said.

“They have the same expectations, same work and the same standards,” she said.

According to Comer, the temporary locations were supplied with desks, text books, white boards and other teaching supplies from the very beginning. Even an area retail bookstore is helping out.

Throughout the month of February, a book fair will be held at Barnes and Noble at the Eastern Shore Centre. The fundraiser is providing residents an opportunity to help teachers refurbish the contents of their classrooms. Residents can bring in a voucher to shop at the bookstore, and a percentage of every purchase will be donated to second and fifth grade teachers when vouchers are added together. Vouchers can be picked up at the bookstore.

“We were able to hit the ground running,” Comer said.

Comer has been the principal for three years, but has been in education for 35 years. She said she has never had the type of school experiences she has had in the last year. In 2007, a gas leak near the school required an emergency evacuation of students from the school property.

“There are moments when we think of what we lost, but those moments are fleeting and few,” Comer said of the recent lead incident. “Our first response is to keep our children and our staff safe. When we do go back, we will have the cleanest campus in Baldwin County, and we will be able to prove it.”

Area schools were also generous in sharing library materials and teacher supplies, she said.

“Rockwell Elementary has gone above and beyond the call of duty, as have other schools,” she said. “I can’t say enough about the generosity of the three congregations that have offered their facilities to us.”

“Spanish Fort was extremely blessed to have spacious facilities just around the corner. Most communities in our county — including larger ones — would not have had such,” Wilhite said.

Though no date has been set, when the school reopens it will be time for a community celebration, Comer said.

“We’ll show it off, that’s for sure. But, I can’t think about that today,” she said Friday. “Right now, we don’t know what will be left and what will be gone.” Nonporous items, such as student desks, tables and chairs, may be cleaned and approved for use and items made of porous material, such as fabrics, rugs and paper, for example, will be discarded, she said. Comer said she was very grateful to hear that the city of Spanish Fort had donated $300 all to 21 teachers who lost their personal supplies.

“You have to understand that teachers walked out of their rooms with nothing,” Comer said.

Much of the supplies that the teachers lost were acquired over many years of teaching and often paid for by the teachers themselves, she said.

Superintendent Faron Hollinger is at the temporary locations on a routine basis, she said. School officials have meetings every afternoon with the engineers and cleanup officials to get an update, Comer said. Parents have given “overwhelmingly positive remarks,” about the way things are being handled, she added.