CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Teachers and staff members at Whitewater Academy in northwest Charlotte said they were having to use buckets to flush toilets for students after a burst water pipe interrupted service to the building. Water has since been restored.
Some parents and staff members told WCNC Charlotte's Richard DeVayne that Friday was the second straight day without water at the school. They said water fountains weren't working, kids couldn't flush toilets or wash their hands.
A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools spokesperson said Thursday that the water main break was outside the school and the school's water supply wasn't affected, so the district kept classes on a normal schedule. Multiple teachers who spoke with WCNC Charlotte said that wasn't true, with one teacher saying they had to wait 90 minutes just to use the bathroom.
The district said Friday that plumbers would be on-site to monitor water pressure, adding jet machines were in place to ensure toilets were working. Bottled water was supplied to the campus during the outage.
Richard Simpson, whose child is in first grade at Whitewater, said he wasn't told by the school about the bathroom issues affecting classes.
"They did not mention that in the phone message they sent out," Simpson said. "Because of COVID, we send water with our children to school, so that covers that portion of it. They've taken all the safety precautions to make sure the children are looked after."
A letter sent to parents Thursday stated a water main break caused flooding in the bus lot and that maintenance crews were working to resolve the issue as soon as possible. The letter said functional restrooms were available to students and staff. A separate letter to staff Thursday night said repairs would continue Friday and specified bathrooms would be working for students.
Staff members were notified that they could use a staff-only restroom, and could leave campus during planning time as needed. They were notified the bathrooms at Whitewater Middle School would be available for teachers.
