Boil-water advisory forces Henrico County Public Schools to close Jan. 10; schools set up water distribution and shower sites

Henrico County Public Schools announced on Jan. 9 that all schools and division offices would be closed on Friday, Jan. 10, because a countywide boil-water advisory remained in effect.

Dr. Cashwell, a Henrico County Public Schools official, told the board the advisory remained active "through tomorrow" and that the district could not safely provide meal service, operate drinking fountains or water bottle refill stations. "We cannot safely provide meal service, operate drinking fountains and water bottle refill stations, or support other operational services at this time," he said.

The district identified Brooklyn Middle School, Wilder Middle School and Tucker High School as sites available "as needed for community shower and water distribution sites." School-based and central office teams stood up those sites overnight, and employees and some students volunteered to distribute water across the county. The family and community engagement staff partnered with FeedMore to deliver additional meal kits to students and families "who are in the greatest need," Dr. Cashwell said.

Board members and district staff thanked county agencies and the Henrico Department of Public Utilities for work on restoring services. Dr. Cashwell said he had spoken with the county manager, who "confirmed that significant progress is being made," but the advisory remained in effect.

The district asked families to continue to follow official guidance on the boil-water advisory and noted that closures were intended to protect student and staff health. No additional closures or reopenings were announced at the meeting; the superintendent's office will update families when conditions change.