School Sustains Significant Damage After Boilers Malfunction, Won’t Open After Winter Break

(KNS) – Students at a St. Cloud school won’t return to class immediately after winter break due to water pipes bursting.

An email sent to St. Katharine Drexel parents and obtained by KNSI News says maintenance staff checked the school boilers on Saturday night and found that several heat exchangers in the classrooms had frozen up, and water began leaking into many of the classrooms from the ceiling. The school experienced significant water damage, and only one small area of the building currently had heat as of Sunday.

A statement from the school says plumbing and heating technicians will be onsite Monday to work in each classroom to fix the leaking and heating issues. SKD officials say a building assessor will be site either Monday or Tuesday to assess the damages.

Parents have been told it’s unknown how long it will be before school is back in session at SKD. The school says it will depend on when the boilers are running without issues and heat is fully intact throughout the building. Damages must also be repaired in several classrooms.

There will be no school on Tuesday, the first day back from winter break. Parents will be notified daily until the school reopens.

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