PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WPRI) — For the first time in a month, students from Henry J. Winters Elementary School are back in the classroom.
The school has been closed since the state experienced a record-breaking cold snap when a heating coil malfunctioned causing significant water damage to 23 classrooms on the third floor.
It was set to reopen on Monday but was forced to stay closed this past week after another pipe burst over the weekend causing more water damage.
Students have been distance learning ever since, much to the frustration of parents who are confused as to why a brand-new school building has had this many issues.
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School officials say they have been working tirelessly with contractors and everyone involved to try and get the school back open.
“Every single heating coil in this building has been inspected and no issues have been found with those heating coils,” Acting Superintendent Lisa Benedetti-Ramzi said.
“We also have added additional alarm systems to our environmental structure so if the room temperature or the discharge temperature goes down or below the set temperatures we immediately get notified and will be able to handle that,” Benedetti-Ramzi continued.
12 News toured the school on Thursday and got a firsthand look at the renovations made in the affected classrooms. The ceiling tiles and carpets in those classrooms have since been removed and replaced.
“It’s night and day,” Benedetti-Ramzi said. “This is the way it’s supposed to look; this is what it looked like before. I’m super excited that we’re back.”
The cause of both heating coil failures remains under investigation.
