Story by Angela Zhang, Online Arts Editor

On Tuesday, May 24, portable bathrooms and sinks were transported to San Dieguito Academy due to a pipe burst at the performing arts center (PAC) construction site. Digging construction workers hit a main water pipe, resulting in the school’s water being shut off until after lunchtime.

“[Construction workers] hit a corner where the pipe turned and couldn’t clip it [back together to stop the leak],” said Principal Michael Grove. About a month earlier, construction workers hit a pipe in its center and could clip the rupture together, avoiding water shut off for a prolonged period of time.

Health safety codes require that after a certain amount of time without water, schools cancel classes or find a way to provide students with drinking water and restrooms. Grove was called 10 minutes after 7 a.m. being told a pipe had been hit. Spanky’s, the company that provided the portable sinks and toilets, “happened to have a truck loaded with port-a-potties for somewhere else in San Diego. They just drove it here,” said Grove.

In response to students questioning why they were not sent home, Grove said that the assistant superintendent of business said if they had portable toilets and sinks by 9 a.m., it was fine to keep the students at school. Grove also said that keeping the students on campus was not for financial purposes. Two years ago SDA switched from revenue limit, which pays based on daily attendance, over to basic aide, which pays based on the local property tax. If school had been cancelled, students would have had to make that day up in order to reach required instructional minutes per school year, said Grove.

District maintenance covered the expenses of the portables and Arrowhead drinking water provided for students. Whether or not construction company Barnard Beatty, which is leading the new PAC, has to reimburse the district for costs is still pending. “I’m surprised at how smooth it’s been, how short of times we’ve gone without water,” said Grove. “They have it planned out, but things happen, especially when construction is so large.”

Many students think that the water situation did not disrupt the school day and is not a problem. “I don’t know I kinda felt like people were complaining a little too much because it was the school’s way of dealing with the problem,” said junior Mitch Fierro. “They should have just gone with the flow and if not, it’s just one day. It’s not a big deal.”

“I didn’t really care. If you really had to go to the bathroom, they provided bathrooms,” said junior Kyle Kintner. “The school was doing the best they could to provide us with restrooms despite the circumstances.”