'Extreme' water damage closes school in Passaic County until further notice
PROSPECT PARK — Classes at the borough's only public school will be held remotely until further notice after air-handling equipment froze and then burst, causing "extreme" water damage to parts of the building.
The full extent of the damage was not known Monday, as workers continued to restore areas of the second floor where water poured through the ceiling.
The equipment that ruptured was evaporator coils — a key component of most heating, ventilation and cooling systems.
Staff and students may be able to return to the building next week under the best-case scenario, school officials said.
But timing will depend on results of an air-quality assessment, which was being done to ensure that the building is free of mold.
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"I can't, in good conscience, bring people into a building if I don't know it's safe," said Tyeshia Reels, acting school superintendent. "I have to do my due diligence to make sure that, when we reopen, we have a clean bill of health."
Meanwhile, students have not been inside the building in weeks.
The Brown Avenue school closed for holiday recess on Dec. 23. Leading up to the equipment breakdown announced on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, it was closed for virtual instruction because of a reported rise in cases of COVID-19.
According to the most recent available state data, the school has an enrollment of 816 students in pre-K through eighth grade.
Reels said she did not know the age of the equipment that failed. However, she said she expects that the school's insurer will cover the cost of the damage.
Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: devencentis@northjersey.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Prospect Park NJ school in Passaic County closed from water damage
