Update, 2:10 p.m. Thursday: Susitna Elementary School will remain closed again Friday with students practicing remote learning for a third day, school officials said in an update. Water main repairs are taking longer than expected, they said. Students were expected to return to in-person learning on Monday.
Original story: A water main break discovered early Wednesday was expected to keep Susitna Elementary School in East Anchorage closed again Thursday as repairs continued, Anchorage School District officials said.
Susitna students shifted to remote learning on Wednesday, according to a message to families from Principal Jessie Nesset. Families were asked to use a remote learning packet sent home last week and watch for communication from teachers.
The break was outside, so there wasn’t any flooding in the building, but the school has no water, school district spokeswoman Lisa Miller said Wednesday afternoon. An update on the status of repairs was expected midday Thursday.
Crews from Anchorage Water & Wastewater Utility arrived at the school Wednesday morning, said Sandy Baker, a spokeswoman for the department. The leak was found to be on school property, so the district was working with a contractor.