Leak at Baldwinville school forces evacuation

Leak at Baldwinville school forces evacuation

Eryn Dion
News Staff Writer


TEMPLETON — Students at Baldwinville Elementary School were evacuated Thursday morning after a pipe burst, causing sewer water to soak through the ceiling and rain down into a second floor classroom.

“In the third floor girl’s bathroom a janitor had gone in to replace an O-ring in the toilet, which is a routine repair,” explained Principal John Graziano. “At the same time, a pipe burst and water began to leak.”

The leak occurred at approximately 8:30 a.m., just as students and faculty were getting ready to start the day. According to Mr. Graziano, there were no students in the classroom at the time and those who were in the building were moved down into the gymnasium.


After the arrival of health inspector Phil Leger, it was determined that the students and faculty should be bussed to the Narragansett Middle School, where they were met by staff and given use of the auditorium for a movie.

While the students were gone, ceiling tiles in the second-grade classroom were removed and the room was blocked off. Mr. Graziano said there will be a two-fold solution to the issue, which will involve fixing the pipe and bringing in a professional cleaning company to clean and sanitize the room and make sure it is safe for students and faculty. The job will reportedly be completed this weekend and the room should be usable on Monday.

Ruth Miller, superintendent of Narragansett School District, said this is the second time this year an incident has occurred in a Templeton elementary school, forcing students to be moved, and events like this are not entirely uncommon. She said both schools are over 90 years old and are outdated and out of compliance.

There has been debate in the town for years about building a new elementary school, but very little official action has been taken. Ms. Miller believes the support for a new school is there, but a very vocal minority may be stalling the process.

“I understand the financial constraints of the town,” Ms. Miller said. “But at some point we have to put the kids first.”

Mr. Graziano shared this sentiment, and said that although the students and staff did an excellent job on Thursday, issues in both buildings will continue to crop up and disrupt the school day.

“When you have buildings like this, their age and the hundreds of students and faculty moving through every day causes wear and tear,” he said.

Students returned to the school at about 1 p.m. Thursday afternoon, and parents were informed about the leak and the transfer to the middle school. Students were back in class Friday morning, although the room remained closed off.