Students return to school after sprinkler system failure

Reporter: Amy Galo
Published: Updated:

A sprinkler system failure at Island Coast High School led to an unexpected evacuation as students were sent home early on Thursday.

The incident caused significant flooding, as captured in a video by a student walking past crews working to clean up the mess.

Another video shows the extent of the water on the floor, prompting the school’s maintenance team to spend hours assessing potential damage.

According to the Lee County School District, the school was safely evacuated.

“A pipe on the third floor in the boys’ bathroom just burst, and there was water everywhere,” a student said. “I had to go back in because I needed my stuff, like I didn’t have anything. It’s like leaking over. I actually got a little bit in my hair.”

In an email, the Lee County School District emphasized that the school was safe and ready to welcome students back the next day, with only three rooms remaining unavailable.

On Thursday, Principal Michelle Cort emailed the students’ families to inform them of the early dismissal.

The message read as follows:

Dear Island Coast Families,

We want to inform you that due to a sprinkler system failure causing flooding in our building, all students and staff have been safely evacuated. Dismissal will begin as soon as buses arrive, which we expect to be within the next 30 minutes. If you normally pick up your child, you are welcome to come to the school or communicate with them directly. Please be aware that all students will be dismissed at approximately noon today. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we work to resolve this issue. We will provide another update as soon as more information becomes available. Thank you for your continued support.

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