CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine — Some students at Pond Cove Elementary School in Cape Elizabeth had no school Monday after multiple classrooms flooded and experienced water damage.
The elementary school faced a partial closure after a teacher discovered flooding in classrooms after arriving early Monday morning, Superintendent Chris Record said in a statement.
Andrea told NEWS CENTER Maine in an email on Monday the water damage affected classroom wings that host students in grades one and two, as well as one Kindergarten classroom.
"Due to space constraints and a large Kindergarten class size this school year, one kindergarten classroom was located in the affected wing and also had no students attend [school Monday]," the spokesperson said.
As a result, students in grades three and four, as well as the rest of the Kindergartners (six out of the seven Kindergarten classrooms), did have school Monday.
Record said Monday the school's maintenance department found a mechanical failure in the school's "aging heating system" in a classroom on the second floor.
"We believe it malfunctioned at some point overnight and caused flooding in a couple [of] second-grade classrooms, a couple of first-grade classrooms, and the main office below," Record said.
The damage is still being assessed, but Record said so far it includes "dozens of ceiling tiles, drywall, tech equipment, laptops, a projector, learning materials (including recent book purchases), carpet, and sadly some student artwork."
It has not yet been determined how long the affected classrooms will be closed, but Record said he hopes for a quick turnaround.
"Our custodial crew, maintenance department, and other staff are doing an excellent job of cleaning up the mess," Record said. "We very much appreciate the flexibility of the families that were suddenly impacted this morning by this mechanical failure."