4 schools remain closed

Four schools will remain closed today because samples testing water quality will not be ready until this morning.

Gov. Benigno Fitial signed a state of disaster emergency Sunday night, forcing Marianas High School, Kagman Elementary School, Koblerville Elementary School, and Oleai Head Start to delay their opening until the schools pass the water quality tests.

“The staff of the Department of Public Health has determined that the staff and students of the affected schools would be in danger of exposure to the contaminated water if they occupied the affected school,” Fitial wrote in the declaration.

Last week, Fitial asked DPH to create a task force that would check the water supply and quality at each of the Public School System schools.

Sixteen schools were tested and evaluated last week, with six schools initially coming back positive for coliform bacteria, said Joseph Kevin Villagomez, Secretary of Public Health. The affected schools were instructed to drain, clean and refill the water reservoirs before the Division of Environmental Quality conducted an additional test. Two of the six schools came back negative, but DEQ was unable to test the remaining four—MHS, Kagman Elementary, Koblerville Elementary and Oleai Head Start—because they did not have running water. Except for Oleai Head Start, the schools now have running water. Oleai Head Start was forced to buy water.

DEQ retested the four schools yesterday, and the results will be ready this morning, Villagomez said.

The delay was the best thing to do under the circumstances, Villagomez said.

“Let’s face it, delaying for one or two days is the right thing to do to protect the children,” he said.

Education Commissioner Rita Sablan was delivered the executive order at her house Sunday at approximately 9:30pm. Sablan, along with other administrators, were working until 2am trying to notify the necessary individuals, she said.

“It’s a nightmare,” she said. “First we didn’t get it until [Sunday] night at 9:27pm. Getting it at that late of an hour was simply time consuming in identifying a response team to inform all parents, teachers and students.”

Board of Education chair Lucy Blanco-Maratita said she was not happy with the order.

“I’m disappointed with the Governor,” she said. “I wish we had had more advanced notice. How come nobody called us? How do we tell kids, how do we tell parents, how do we tell bus drivers?”

A public service announcement went out over the radio Sunday night, and bus drivers were informed so they could tell students yesterday morning. Parents of Head Start students were also called, Blanco-Maratita said.

“It’s still frustrating,” she added. “We go through preparation and planning.”

Many students and faculty at MHS were not aware of the delay until they arrived at school yesterday morning.

“I just found out when I came in the gate,” MHS counselor Sarona Vivao said. “All of a sudden, there’s something wrong with the water. Come on now.”

Fellow MHS counselor Cherlyn Cabrera said she was also frustrated.

“It’s horrible. We’ve already delayed it a month,” she said. “Everyone wants to get started.”

Blanco-Maratita said food vendors were also affected. They need 24 hours notice to cancel their orders, but since they did not receive that, PSS will be required to pay for the breakfasts and lunches.

Charles Reyes, press secretary for the Governor’s Office, said that, without sufficient samples, the Governor had no choice but to order the closure.

“Without sufficient water samples, [the schools] were ordered to close as a matter of prudence,” he said. “We look forward to PSS meeting the standards.”

Under the Governor’s declaration of a state of disaster emergency, he issued four directives: to close the four affected schools; to close other schools if they are found to be similarly affected; to notify him when the water at the affected schools is safe; and suspend all statues and regulations relating to the closure of the affected schools.

In August, Fitial asked the Board of Education to consider pushing back the start of school two weeks or until there was reliable power on the island, but the board decided to start school as scheduled.