Burst pipe at Northern Lehigh High disrupted two rooms; district credits local responders and contractors

A community relations staff member told the board a burst pipe at Northern Lehigh High School prompted a coordinated response from school staff, first responders and local contractors that limited the impact and allowed students to return within days.

The staff member praised school faculty and administrators for quickly moving students to safe locations and credited local first responders for helping coordinate mitigation. The staff member said local contractors, including the owners of the mitigation firm and foreman Mike Dempsey, arrived quickly and worked "around the clock," allowing only two rooms to remain offline while the work and a second round of air-quality testing were completed.

"They worked around the clock to get it to make it so with only two rooms we had to keep offline on Monday and Tuesday ... and we decided to wait for two days until we had a second round of air quality test," the staff member said. The staff member added that the district and its insurance company prioritized returning students to the building safely and quickly.

The staff member also said all contractors who responded were local and thanked janitorial and administrative staff for their efforts during pickups, sporting events and off-hours work. No formal vote or additional direction was recorded; the update was given as information and to acknowledge community and contractor support.