BRAINTREE, MASS. (WHDH) - It is the first day of school on Wednesday but students at Braintree High School will not be in class.
The start of the school year has been delayed a week after a pipe burst on Aug. 14 and the rushing water damaged the school’s electrical system.
“We have deemed it not to be safe at this time so we are working on a temporary service that is being installed as we speak,” said Mayor and School Committee member Charles Kokoros.
Generators are powering some essential services in the building while temporary repairs are made.
“The system is over 50 years old and with the fact they normally have a lifespan in something of the range of 30 to 35 years,” Kokoros said. “Our main focus is to get our school up and running and get kids back in school.”
The issue and fix means high school students might not be allowed back into their classrooms until next Wednesday.
A parent of one high school student told 7NEWS they understand there is nothing to do but the delay is still tough.
“It’s been crazy, especially with the pandemic,” they said. “Just another delay. The kids are itching to get back into a routine.”
Kokoros said delaying the start of the year was the right move.
“It’s in the best of the safety of students as well as our staff to reenergize the old system,” he said.
The city is working to get the components to build a new system however there is no timeline on when a permanent solution will be in place.
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