Damage From Flooding At Greenwich School Still Being Assessed

GREENWICH, CT — The extent of the damage caused by flooding at North Mianus School over the weekend is still being assessed, according to district officials, and will likely be discussed at this week's Board of Education meeting.

In a letter sent to families over the weekend, Superintendent Toni Jones and Angela Schmidt, the school's principal, said a pipe burst Saturday morning, which led to flooding on much of the front side of the building's first floor and in the area of the media center on the second floor.

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On Wednesday, Jones and Schmidt said in a second letter sent to families the school's facilities team, along with the Greenwich fire and building departments and an independent engineering firm, are continuing to investigate the situation.

"We are still awaiting a formal report, which may not be ready until Friday afternoon," the letter reads. "The room where the ceiling fell was initially inspected on Tuesday, and a more formal review to assess next steps is being scheduled."

Additionally, the district's environmental consultant was able to confirm there were no hazardous materials from the ceiling debris, according to Jones and Schmidt.

All water has been cleared from classrooms that were flooded, as well as the media center. Items that were unable to be salvaged from water damage have been thrown out.

"To date, it has not been determined with certainty whether the plaster ceiling fell on the sprinkler pipe causing the flood," the letter reads, "or if the sprinkler pipe failed causing the attached plaster ceiling to pull away from the floor joists above. Additionally, the plaster ceiling and pipes sit above the hung ceiling. An inspection of the underside of the roof determined there were no leaks, and no work of any significance has been done recently in that area of the building."

The school has moved to full remote learning this week while the damage is assessed. Over the weekend, Jones and Schmidt said the district would look into potential alternate locations for in-person learning, as it was "highly likely" students and staff will not be allowed to return to the building while repairs are being made.

On Wednesday, the pair said some families had expressed concerns about students having to learn remotely for the rest of the school year but noted their intention is to have students return to in-person learning, however they must wait for a final report on the building to determine the best path forward.

"As we have always stated, the health and safety of our students is our top priority," the letter reads, "and as such, [Greenwich Public Schools] is not taking this situation lightly, and we will await input from the specialists to guide our next steps."

Greenwich Board of Education chair Peter Bernstein said this week the situation at North Mianus was "unfortunate" and noted a similar incident had occurred at Cos Cob School in 2018.

"This is certainly an unfortunate occurrence," Bernstein said, "and the superintendent and her team are hard at work assessing the damage and making alternative plans. We know from the situation a few years ago at Cos Cob [School] how difficult this kind of thing can be on the school community, and we really want to get these kids back in the building as soon as possible."

He also said the topic will likely be discussed at the board's meeting Thursday.

Fire Chief Joseph McHugh declined to comment on the damage at the school but noted one of the department's fire marshals is working with town building officials on their investigation.