Winters Elementary School closed for the rest of the week due to burst pipe
(WJAR) — Students of Winters Elementary School will continue remote learning for the rest of the week after a pipe burst flooded parts of the Pawtucket school.
In a letter sent to families on Tuesday, Acting Superintendent Lisa Benedetti-Ramzi said the school continues to work on repairs, but the clean-up process is not finished.
Students were on virtual learning Monday and Tuesday and will now continue for the rest of the week.
In an interview with NBC 10 on Monday, Benedetti-Ramzi said a heating coil failure caused a pipe to burst during the weekend's frigid temperatures.
A third floor classroom had damaged pipe, prompting flooding on all three floors of one of the building's wings.
The school is working with engineers and Gilbane Building Company to repair the damage.
"Please be assured that our goal is to get our students and staff back into their school for in-person learning as soon as possible," Benedetti-Ramzi wrote in Tuesday's message.
She said food services will be available at the same drive-up locations for those who need it.
The flooding comes after the school had to close two other times in the fall due to maintenance problems.
The brand new school opened for the first time in September, after the first day of school was delayed when a backup battery for the fire alarm failed in August.
Two weeks after the school opened its doors for the first days, a power outage closed the building for two days.
When asked about the series of issues, Pawtucket School Committee Chairman Jim Chellel told NBC 10 on Monday he hopes the school is "getting rid of all of its errors out the window."