BROOKINGS Brookings High School students were dismissed 11 a.m. Monday when water to the building had to be shut off to repair a sewer line that backed up in the buildings basement.
It was just a sewer line backup, Keith Fodness, director of facilities for the district, said. It was just water that was backed up in the basement.
Fodness said they discovered the problem early Monday morning, contacted Kenner Plumbing to fix the issue, and had to shut off water during the repairs.
Kenner came and snaked a lot of line, but they found the blockage and were able to get it pushed on out of the building, Fodness said. They were able to clear the lines, and as of 2:30 p.m. they were completed and done. Things are running smoothly, water is back on, and school will take place (Tuesday).
He said shutting off the water at the building was a necessary inconvenience.
Nobody was in harms way in any way, Fodness said. We just couldnt have water running at the school. We could not keep the water on, and you cant have people in the building who are unable to use the bathroom. The decision was made with administration and food service to get kids fed.
Students at the high school were able to eat lunch, then buses were made available for students who needed transportation.
We really wanted to make sure over that lunch hour that we were able to have students go home, Superintendent Summer Schultz said. Anyone who wanted to eat was able to eat. And if students were typically bus riders, (Director of Transportation Nathan Loehr) and his crew did come. So we were able to get those students who wanted to utilize their typical route. We had buses that picked them up. And we worked with our special education students who have different routes to be able to get them home.
She thanked parents for their patience.
We know its really inconvenient for families, Schultz said. We feel bad when we disrupt student and family schedules. When we deal with water its such a sensitive scenario, because water is critical for students to feel comfortable at school and be able to use the restroom.
She said extracurricular activities and practices scheduled for Monday afternoon were allowed to resume once the problem was fixed. Students district wide will go on Thanksgiving break Nov. 27-29, with classes scheduled to resume in Brookings on Dec. 2.
Contact Jay Roe at [email protected].
Leave a Reply