If the cold temperatures and snow haven’t played enough havoc with the school closings, the water crisis in Weirton has proven to be a major challenge for Hancock County educators. The lack of water in the Weirton Heights area may keep Weirton Elementary closed until Feb. 10th. Superintendent Dan Enich told the Board of Education at Monday’s meeting, that he and other school administrators will meet with the Weirton Dept. and Water Dept. Attorney Dan Guida tomorrow to further assess the situation and get a plan in place. Enich said a notice went out to the public at 5:30 p.m. with an update on the water situation and an update will be provided every week until the situation is resolved. In addition to Weirton Elementary, the largest elementary school in the State, being without water, approximately 300-400 homes are affected.
Enich said Weirton City officials have indicated the water pressure at Weirton Elementary School will not be normalized until approximately Feb. 10 although it could be normalized sooner. He said the water pressure must be sufficient for the sprinklers in the school to work and to allow the toilets to flush adequately. Without the sprinklers being operable, staff is conducting a fire watch with hourly walk through the building to ensure there are no problems No staff or students can be in the school without the sprinklers.
“We will be adjusting our remote methods,” said Enich. With Weir High and Weir Middle fully operational, school officials are assessing what space may be available at those locations. They are also making plans to get the school lunches to students.
In other business, the Board;
**Accepted the resignation of bus driver Andrea Mercer for medical reasons;
**Granted permission for JDRIV students to attend the SKILLS USA competition in Fairmont March 27 through March 29;
**Announced they will meet again on the school calendar Feb. 24.
