After two gas leaks in less than a week, frustration is building for parents and students at Lowell High School who say evacuations due to maintenance issues are becoming routine.
The school was shut down Wednesday for repairs and inspections and will be closed again on Thursday. School officials sent out a memo explaining the decision to close for a second day, saying they have made significant progress in isolating the mechanical issues, but continue to complete a comprehensive review of the entire system.
The two day closure comes after repairs were also made over the weekend following a gas leak that force students to evacuate Friday. It has some wondering why it keeps happening and if the school environment is safe.
“As parents our kids look to us for what’s safe and not safe, even as teenagers,” parent Michelle Larned said. “How am I supposed to tell them they can go to school in a safe learning environment when this is happening? I can’t.”
Parents said the issues keep coming, from no heat earlier this year to the gas leaks now, and their students are worried about missing classroom instruction.
“We have an AP exam coming up and we’re missing all of the notes,” Sarah Larned said. “And we’re really behind already.”
In a note to parents, school officials said students will not have to make up the days missed for the gas leak repairs and they are taking all precautions to ensure their safety.
Local
In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area.
NBC Boston reached out to members of the school committee and the Lowell city manager. They did not want to comment on the story. Calls to the Superintendent were unreturned as of Wednesday night.
