Ongoing water issues in Mississippi’s capital city disrupting students’ return to the classroom following holiday break.
The ongoing water pressure issue in Mississippi’s capital city is forcing Jackson Public Schools (JPS) to resort to a remote school day for its students.
Students in JPS have been on Christmas break and were set to return to the classroom today.
Prolonged freezing temperatures over the holidays caused pipes in the city to burst, further exacerbating a system that has faced significant challenges over the past year. This placed even more strain on the municipal water supply and the operations now under federal oversight at Jackson water treatment facilities.
Third Party Water Manager Ted Henifin said crews are working to resolve the issues but asked residents to conserve water as much as possible as work is completed. The city remains under a boil water notice.
In a notice shared with parents and community stakeholders, JPS said that while progress is being made in the city to address the low water pressure, they will have a “virtual school day” on Thursday.
“We are very pleased to learn of the progress being made in restoring water pressure across the city,” the notice from JPS states. “Unfortunately, despite those reports, the majority of our schools and offices (29) still have low or no water pressure. Given the current state of our schools and the volatility of the situation, we will continue with our plan for a virtual school day on Thursday, January 5th.”
JPS goes on to say that school leaders will continue to evaluate their water supply throughout the day to determine if it is safe to reopen schools on Friday, January 6th.
For those students and families needing the assistance, school breakfast and lunch will be prepared and available for pick-up at each school today and tomorrow between 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
For more information about JPS and to receive updated notices, click here.
Frank Corder
