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Two Ada County schools flooded after pipes burst

Many schools in southern Idaho and eastern Oregon will be closed Monday because of concerns about the weather and road conditions, but a couple of schools are cancelling classes because of broken pipes.

Many schools in southern Idaho and eastern Oregon will be closed Monday because of concerns about the weather and road conditions, but a couple of schools are cancelling classes because of broken pipes.

At Rolling Hills Public Charter School in northwest Boise, crews were clearing snow when a frozen pipe burst at about noon on Sunday, flooding several classrooms.

The superintendent says the school hopes to reopen by Tuesday.

Heritage Middle School in Meridian experienced significant flooding Saturday, leaving the library and eighth grade hallways inaccessible.

Cleanup crews working at Heritage Middle School in Meridian after a pipe burst flooded part of the school on January 7, 2017.

The administration sent the following letter to parents on Sunday:

Dear Parents:

With the recent snow storms and freezing temperatures, HMS experienced some significant flooding due to a broken pipe. At this time our library and 8th grade hallways are not accessible. Disaster relief has been in the building since Saturday afternoon and they are reporting the building will be safe for students on Tuesday January 10. With that, Heritage will not be having school on Monday the 9th.

Tuesday morning all students will report to their first hour class at our regularly schedule time. Attached to this email you will see an alternate schedule for students who have classes in the 8th grade hallway. We will give all students a hard copy of the new schedule on Tuesday because all three grade levels are impacted by the closure of the 8th grade wing. We will give 8th grade students access (during a scheduled time) to their lockers during first period on Tuesday to get what they need out of them. After that they will not have access to those hallways. Because of this, 8th grade students will be allowed to carry their backpacks.

Due to water damage in the kitchen, we have minimal access to the cafeteria area. Sack lunches will be provided by the district for purchase but we are strongly recommending that you send a cold lunch with your child if at all possible.

Please help us spread the word to neighbors and friends who may not have access to the school communication being sent out. Thank you so much for your flexibility and understanding in this matter. We love our HMS families and together we can "weather the storm!"

HMS Administration

Heritage administrators also told KTVB that all buses will be running on their normal schedule on Tuesday. School staff will be available by phone after 9 a.m. Monday to answer questions, and updates will also be available on the school website.

Related story: Mistakes to avoid to prevent frozen pipes

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