Image/Graphics by Photo Courtesy of Shari Buck

4/5th Grade Hallway

On January 17th and 18th, West Branch School District faced some serious issues in the elementary, being that water pipes broke in several classrooms and locations. Mrs.Dutrow stated, “The break and subsequent flooding were caused by a mechanical issue that appears to have impacted the valves that control the flow of water in the heating pipes.” The breakage caused flooding throughout several areas and raised multiple issues. The danger of hot water dripping from the pipes onto students caused a rather rapid evacuation on Thursday. Due to this event, elementary students and teachers were relocated to various places in the high school. Although some classes were transferred to open rooms in the high school, many classes had nowhere to relocate. The sudden flooding of water and safety precautions that were taken, elementary teachers did not grab teaching supplies on the first day of the issue. Because of this issue, elementary students were sent to the auditorium, library, and gymnasium on Thursday. The flooding still occurred on Friday; however, the administration organized classes and education for elementary students in the high school in an efficient manner. Fourth grade and fifth-grade students were relocated to the high school library, empty high school classrooms, and empty rooms in the sixth-grade hall. Mrs.Dutrow was proud of how the teachers improvised in a difficult situation. The elementary students were still able to eat lunch in the elementary cafeteria, which was not affected by the flooding. When asked, fifth-grade students said that they enjoyed going to the high school and the unplanned time in the gym.

The solution to the pipes and water damage will be discussed early this upcoming week. Because the pipes are old, their replacements may have to be manufactured to the specific type, which could increase the time it takes to make repairs. The insurance adjusters will be assessing the damage before beginning repairs. As for the carpet and flooring that has water damage, a carpet cleaning company will be fixing those issues.