New London ― Charlotte Spinnato, 10, walked out of Harbor Elementary School on Thursday with shaking shoulders and tearful eyes before falling into the arms of her mother.

As Sarah Spinnato consoled her sobbing daughter, dozens of other parents greeted their children for what was the final day of classes at the Montauk Avenue building after more than a century.

“It’s really sad,” Sarah Spinnato said. “Charlotte has been going here since pre-K and loves her friends, the teachers and the principal. She’s just not sure which school she’ll be going to next year.”

The Board of Education on June 12 voted unanimously to shutter Harbor school, the district’s oldest and only non-magnet school, after a recent hazardous materials scare that was preceded by years of “benign neglect,” according to board President Elaine Maynard-Adams.

That vote was made after the board’s School Facilities & Program Design Committee spent several hours discussing the state of the building and possible non-closure remedies.

“The idea of closing the school had been discussed on and off for a couple of years,” committee Chairman Bryan Doughty said. “The asbestos and lead scare we had in May, while not the impetus for closing, was a stark reminder of the issues there. It was really like a Pandora’s box waiting there, something we’d been addressing with Band-Aids to stop the bleeding.”

During a lengthy June 5 meeting, committee members were told just getting the school compliant with federal American with Disabilities Act standards would cost approximately $1.5 million, while a full renovation of the school would cost upward of $80 million.

Maynard-Adams said her vote to close the school was “shaped in large part by comments from parents, staff” and other committee members.

“They said, ‘Just close it down,’ and they did not want new students coming in,” she said.

The school closed for two days in May for building inspections after the discovery of cracks on the building’s second and third floors. Test results determined the fissures did not involve lead or asbestos exposure, but the closure extended the school year for Harbor students until Thursday.

“The school did close down for a period of time six years ago, but no reason for that was ever given to me and it was re-opened,” said Maynard-Adams, whose daughter attended the three-story brick school. “Everything we’ve done there since has only really bought us some time.”

Next school year, the school’s nearly 200 students will attend one of the district’s three new magnet elementary schools: Winthrop STEM, Nathan Hale Arts or C.B. Jennings International.

Harbor’s approximately 45 staff members will also be transferred to new jobs in the district, officials said.

Doughty said that each of the remaining elementary schools were built with enough capacity and flexibility to absorb the incoming Harbor students without causing classroom overcrowding.

Parents on Thursday said they received survey notices last week asking them to submit their new school preferences via a tiered-ranking list. Superintendent of Schools Cynthia Ritchie said Harbor staff will be notified of their new school assignments by next week.

“And parents will know soon after where their children will attend,” she said, noting Harbor students slated to attend summer school this year will do so at either the Winthrop or Nathan Hale schools.

Ruth Acevado said her granddaughter, 10-year-old Zamari Barreto, informed her about the school’s closing last week.

“It’s kind of sad since I’ve driven her and picked her back up here for the last year,” she said. “Now that’ll happen at a different school.”

Ritchie said her administration will next begin looking at what to do with the closed facility. She said any decision on the fate of the property, including a timeline on returning its oversight to the city, is not expected soon.

“Harbor school will always hold a special place in the hearts of students and staff and we’re grateful for its years of service,” she said.

Mayor Michael Passero said there’s been continued interest in the Harbor school property for years from developers. He said other former city school properties are now home to office buildings.

“The plan was, as we built three new schools years ago, the older ones like Harbor, would close,” he said. “Taxpayers have already paid for the replacement of those older schools and (Harbor) is way, way beyond any use as a school.”

As she waited for her daughter to emerge from the school for the last time, Sarah Spinnato recalled her own experiences at Harbor school more than two decades earlier.

“Aside from new ceilings and playgrounds, it’s basically the same,” she said. “There’s even an underwater mural I helped paint in the fifth grade still up there on the third floor. Even though it won’t stay safe much longer, it’s still sad to see it close.”

After taking a few minutes to compose herself in her mother’s van, Charlotte Spinatto resolutely walked back through the doors of the only school she’d ever attended and exchanged a series of hugs with her teachers.

“She loves this school,” Sarah Spinatto said.

j.penney@theday.com