Maintenance and custodial staff remove debris from water damage at Washington Elementary School

At 5:40 a.m. new water damage at Washington Elementary School prompted immediate action by custodial and maintenance staff Tuesday. 

"A pipe bleeder valve had corroded and broke sometime between the last custodian leaving at 11 p.m. and when I got here this morning," shared Head Custodian Andy Prim as he worked to remove damaged plaster from an intervention classroom.

Washington Elementary School families were notified at 6:30 a.m. that classes were canceled for the day, due to an issue with a boiler in the building. 

Learning will be back in session at Washington on Wednesday, April 26, with normal operating hours.

"Our team got the ceiling tiles replaced, new fittings installed and we have dehumidifiers and fans running to dry out that side of the building," shared Darrell Prim, Transportation and Facilities Manager. "Then, in the summer, we're going to go through the whole building to inspect all of the heating pipes."

Three classrooms were impacted by the water damage where a return pipe sends water back to the boiler room; a first-grade classroom, an intervention classroom and a preschool classroom.


"We've notified the insurance company of this new incident and will have to go through the same steps as the last event at Washington," Frank Antill, district treasurer, explained. 

This is the second bout of pipe and water damage impacting building floors and ceilings after pipes froze and burst over Winter Break.

"But thanks to the maintenance staff that came to help Andy, we can return to school tomorrow," Principal Cheryl Cook said. "I'm really appreciative of them and you can tell their dedication to their work and the safety of our kids."

Marietta City Schools thanks all of its staff and families for their dedication and patience.