Kadena Elementary on Okinawa opened its doors on Feb. 28, 2018. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
A Defense Department school on Okinawa dismissed students early Thursday due to a water issue that prevented toilets from flushing, according to a message sent to parents that morning.
Students were released at 10:15 a.m. after the problem was discovered in restrooms at Kadena Elementary School, Principal Amanda McDonald said in the message.
“For the health of our students and staff, we will be releasing students early today,” McDonald wrote.
Buses left the school at 11 a.m., with students arriving at their stops approximately 45 minutes to an hour later, according to the message. A copy was provided to Stars and Stripes by Department of Defense Education Activity-Pacific spokeswoman Miranda Ferguson.
At 10:12 a.m. and 10:20 a.m., the same message was posted on the MCCS Okinawa – School Liaison Officer and Kadena Elementary School’s official Facebook pages, respectively.
All students and staff were affected, including pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students from Bechtel Elementary School on Camp McTureous. Those students have been attending Kadena Elementary while Bechtel undergoes renovations, Ferguson said in a separate email.
School-age care programs at Kadena Air Base and Camp McTureous remained open for students, according to the message.
Ferguson said she had no additional information on the cause of the issue, when it might be resolved, or whether the school would reopen Friday.
“We apologize for the sudden change in school operations and appreciate your understanding,” McDonald wrote in her letter to parents.
Water was restored to the school in the afternoon and classes will resume Friday, according to a second letter signed by McDonald and posted at 4:32 p.m. to the MCCS Okinawa – School Liaison Officer Facebook page. A boil-water advisory will be in effect, and parents were asked to send their students to school with bottled water, the letter states.
“Please know the kitchen staff will be boiling any water used to prepare school meals tomorrow as precaution,” the letter states.
The issue follows a sewer line problem that closed Kadena Elementary and nearby Ryukyu Middle School on Jan. 27. Both reopened the next day, according to Facebook posts from the schools.
That day, some residents of the Stillwell Park neighborhood near the schools were affected by a sewage outage, according to a post on the Okinawa Military Family Housing Facebook page.
