SPRINGFIELD — All classes were canceled at Washington School on Monday after a cap that sealed an old pipe eroded and flooded the building.
The flood caused minimal damage and repairs have been made so school can resume Tuesday, said Azell Cavaan, spokeswoman for Springfield Public Schools.
The cap, which sealed an old fire pipe that’s no longer used, broke over the weekend and flooded the basement and a section of the first floor. A custodian discovered the problem early Monday morning and officials decided to cancel classes for the day, she said.
The city’s facilities department repaired the cap and its flood response team cleaned up the water with wet vacuums and ran humidifiers in the school. The pipe leak left between an inch and an inch and a half of water in the basement, Cavaan said.
There are no classrooms in the basement, so the damage was minimal, she said.
About 420 children in preschool through grade five attend the school, located at 141 Washington St.
The children and staff will have to make up a missed day of school Monday to meet the minimum 180-day state requirement. Since it is early in the school year, educators will have a variety of options, including using a vacation day or tacking the extra day on at the end of the school year, Cavaan said.
