HARTFORD — Students were dismissed early from Hartford High School on Wednesday due to a mechanical failure of the boiler used to heat the building.
The heating system malfunctioned after the boiler suffered a mechanical pump failure late Wednesday morning, Jonathan Garthwaite, the director of facilities for the Hartford School District, said in a phone interview.
The school released students and canceled programs to avoid potential discomfort in the building amid freezing outdoor temperatures — which dipped into the single digits Wednesday morning.
“We were unable to get the boiler back up and running in time to finish the school day comfortably for our students and educators due to the cold temperatures, so we made the decision to release everyone early,” Superintendent Caty Sutton wrote in an email.
Buses arrived around 11 a.m. to bring students home. The school district informed the community of the early dismissal in a social media announcement about half an hour prior to the release.
Classes were expected to resume at the high school Thursday morning as planned, with no anticipated disruptions, Sutton and Garthwaite said.
The district temporarily fixed the boiler with materials available on hand. A replacement fuel pump, due to arrive on Thursday, is expected to permanently resolve the issue, Garthwaite said. It can be installed with school in session, so he did not anticipate another shutdown.
Garthwaite said repairs to the schools happen every day, although boiler issues are not a frequent occurrence.
“This one was just kind of the worst possible timing,” Garthwaite said, pointing to the time of day and the low temperatures.