Students will return to classes at Pelham Middle School Tuesday after a pipe burst around 7:40 a.m. on Monday, forcing the school to close and sending students and teachers home for the day.
Superintendent Dr. Cheryl Champ provided additional information on the situation by email at 12:04 p.m. Staff became aware of “a significant amount of water leaking into several classrooms” during zero period that was caused by “component failure in a rooftop heating/cooling unit,” Champ said.
Due to the flooding and loss of heat, students already in the building were forced to evacuate as others were showing up for school. Parents hastily arrived to pick up their kids amidst the rainy weather, with the waiting line wrapping around the building.
“Thank you to everyone for your patience and flexibility this morning,” said Champ in the email. “I recognize the difficulty that closing school on such short notice creates.”
The facilities team and contractors worked to stop the leak, restore heat and assess damage in the classrooms so school can be in session Tuesday. Champ advised parents to make sure student contact information is up to date to ensure a safe and expedited dismissal when events like Monday’s happen.
The superintendent thanked the middle school leadership team, faculty, staff and safety personnel for professionally handling the circumstances.
