WET: Classrooms in Poly’s upper 800s building had leaks in the ceiling.
By Hannah Lerstad, Staff Writer
In the past several weeks, rooms in the 800s building have experienced severe water damage. Rooms 823 and 822, which belong to teachers Kimberly Yeyna and Catherine Murray respectively, had issues with leaks coming through the ceiling.
The problem began when the rainy season struck and water began pouring in. Three areas of room 823 developed leaks and two ceiling tiles became wet enough to start dripping, creating a large puddle in the corner of the classroom. Yeyna kept a trash can under the leak to prevent the water from spreading throughout the room.
After immediate repairs to the original leaks, water spots continued to grow in various places in room 823. Accompanying the flooding and water spots was a strange, musty odor in room 823.
Fully repairing the flooded room was a difficult task because of the nature of the flat-roof on the 800s building.
“Each time it rained, we had to open the tiles, drain the water, wait for it to dry, try to locate leaks, go up on the roof and make repairs. The next time it rained we had to go through it again. They [Maintenance and Operations] have repaired the roof four times. The tiles were replaced, and the insulation was pulled and it’s being replaced,” Poly Assistant Principal Brian Frost said.
At the same time, Murray’s classroom began to leak through the ventilation system.
After parents complained about the unusual smell in room 823, Poly hired an agency to do an environmental check to test the air quality of the room and look for mold and mildew. Luckily, the company was able to rule out the presence of harmful hazards.
During the inspection of the rooms, Yeyna and Murray’s classes were diverted to the Poly library for two days.
“I am happy to be back ‘home’ in my classroom, but I am thankful to Mrs. Lupe Avila and our librarians for making room for us while we traveled,” Yeyna said.
Now that the rooms have stopped leaking, Poly students are able to return to their ordinary classrooms.