Baltimore School Closing Early Because Of Heating Issues

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A Baltimore City Public School will be closing early Tuesday because of problems with the heating system.

Lakeland Elementary/Middle School closed at 12:45 p.m. Tuesday because of heating issues.

Frederick Elementary also let out at 9:15 a.m. Tuesday because of water problems.

Baltimore City Public Schools released the following statement:

"Over the winter break, facilities staff monitored schools to check on heating systems, plumbing, and electricity. Numerous problems were identified and resolved. Unfortunately, with the extreme temperatures, new problems can emerge quickly.

Our priority is always to open buildings whenever possible. We want students to have every possible opportunity for teaching and learning, and we also want to make sure that students can get the services and supports that many families rely on -- for example, warm meals and before- and after-school care. We have many schools with leaky windows and outdated heating systems that have a hard time keeping up. With extreme temperatures, we have the added challenge of freezing pipes and water main breaks. Our facilities staff are on call around the clock to address these problems and make buildings as comfortable as they can be. In some cases, we rely on principals to relocate or combine classes when specific areas of a building have heat or water problems. Only when problems affect large portions or all of a building do we make the decision to close the school. This occurred with the schools that were closed today."

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In:
• Baltimore City
• School Closures