Students returning to Open Classroom charter school after major sewer repairs

SALT LAKE CITY — Students from a Salt Lake City charter school that had a major sewer problem are finally heading back to their campus Friday.

“The final repairs on the building are done and we have clearance to move everyone back into the building,” said Salt Lake City School District Spokesperson Yandary Chatwin. So [Thursday] is a remote learning day for students and we’re excited to have in-person learning back at the Open Classroom [Friday].”

Earlier this month, students at Open Classroom were moved to the campus of the now-closed Hawthorne Elementary because of a fractured sewage pipe that had been causing rancid smells at the school for months.

They originally thought students would be back on campus on November 6, but ended up postponing the students’ return for more repairs the day before the expected reopening. 

“During a final inspection of the plumbing system today, our team discovered a small water leak inside a pipe chase (an enclosed vertical space that houses pipes) in one of the student bathrooms,” Open Classroom posted on its website on November 5. ” After consulting with our contractor, it was determined that additional time is needed to complete this repair.”

Now, Chatwin says they have received the go-ahead to return to campus from the Salt Lake County Health Department and the Utah Division of Risk Management.

“After the plumbing repairs and the cleaning were done, they came in and performed a comprehensive air quality test, and all results showed normal, healthy indoor air,” Chatwin stated. “No elevated mold counts or VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), and particulate matter was well below health-based limits.”

However, parents tell us they are still worried the water has not been tested to make sure it is safe to drink.

“If there was a sewage spill to the degree that it was, and that many pipes were corroded to the degree that they were,  I don’t understand how they wouldn’t have testing on every aspect to ensure the safety of our kids,” Iverson, a parent, expressed.

Officials told Iverson that drinking water was never a concern, because the sewage pipes are in a different location and there is no chance of cross-contamination.

“I’m planning on sending my kids to school with large jugs of water to put in their lockers,” Iverson said. “Because until I get a test result back, it seems very irresponsible for me to allow them to have drinking water that’s directly from the school.”

Iverson says she has had a lot of questions left unanswered by the district at this point, including how long these sewage issues have been ongoing, and why the kids cannot stay at Hawthorne a little longer out of an abundance of caution. Hawthorne Elementary is one of four schools closed in 2024 by the Salt Lake City School District and has largely been used as office space since the closure. 

The district told KSL earlier this month that while they had been received reports about the smell all school year, it was not until recently that crews identified the problem.