A sink pipe in one of the second-floor girls’ restrooms burst this morning, resulting in water damage and localized flooding in the school. The burst occurred just before the school day began, sprouting behind a sink that had dislodged from the wall.
MCPS maintenance staff were unable to use localized valves to stop the gushing given where the sink had broken off of the wall, said School Business Administrator Danielle Fus. Maintenance staff had to turn off the main water valve and break through the wall to cap the water pipe, she said.
Classes began regularly while Whitman security rerouted some students to avoid the bathroom and reach their first-period classrooms. At 8 a.m., Assistant Principal Jena Mejia sent an announcement through Remind to inform community members of the situation. Administrators placed the school in a modified shelter-in-place and instructed teachers to continue instruction and limit students’ hallway use. Students in classrooms near the restroom evacuated their classrooms to the second-floor Commons area.
Senior Natalie Vogelhut had first period in one of the classrooms near the burst.
“It was crazy,” Vogelhut said. “We had to leave the room because more than half of the floor was covered with water.”
Administrators soon issued a second announcement extending first period until further notice while MCPS Technicians from the MCPS Office Division of Maintenance and Operations worked on the issue. Students remained in their first-period classrooms for about an hour longer than normal before administrators implemented a revised schedule.
The water damage escalated as pieces of the first-floor ceiling fell and water started to drip down to the first floor. Water continued flooding the second floor until MCPS technicians turned off water schoolwide at 9:25 a.m. Administrators and security redirected students from the affected hallways and stairwells and relocated classes in flooded classrooms to other locations.
Videos of the initial burst, resembling an open fire hydrant, circulated among the student body. The sink was one of multiple at Whitman that students said were in need of maintenance recently.
Vogelhut saw videos of the leak and resulting ceiling debris circulating throughout the day and thought an early dismissal was warranted, she said.
“I feel like we should go home,” Vogelhut said. “We’re not able to drink from water fountains or go to the bathroom.”
During third period, administrators sent out an announcement officially closing the school for the day. Third period ended at 10:55 a.m. and buses arrived at the school at 11:15 a.m. to take students home.
“MCPS made the decision to close school today, because we didn’t have the water back up and running to serve a hot lunch, and we’ve had significant water damage,” Fus said. “ServPro, which is the company MCPS uses, is already on site working on cleaning it up, as well as MCPS maintenance.”
This is a developing story, and any updates will appear here.
