RRES students back at school day pushed to Friday as leak continues to wreak

RRES students sent home due to a gas leak

RIO RANCHO — Rio Rancho Elementary School's community was notified that students were being …

RIO RANCHO — Bad news: Rio Rancho Elementary: School won’t be back on until Friday.

RRES students were sent home Jan. 9 for a gas leak in the school with the tentative promise that they’d be back at school Jan. 14. The leak not only cancelled classes but also the before- and after-school SAFE program and the regular PTA meeting. Now, Rio Rancho Public Schools says kids won’t be back until Friday, Jan. 17.

“New Mexico Gas Company has been working tirelessly to locate the source of the initial leak. Upon investigating, they discovered several other potential issues within the gas line system. Because of this, the RRPS Facilities Department has decided to replace all existing gas pipes at the RRES campus out of an abundance of caution,” reads a Jan. 13 email to parents.

What started as a leak has now turned into a project on the school’s pipes, pushing back the return date for students.

“As you can imagine, this is a much more involved project than fixing a single broken pipe. As such, we need to adjust this week’s schedule. Right now, it appears as though we may be able to welcome students back to school on Friday, January 17,” the district said.

The school, however, encouraged parents to make child care arrangements for the remainder of the week as the campus will be closed Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

“We will inform you if there is a change in the completion deadline by Thursday. To adjust to this sudden change in schedule and to plan for the remainder of the week, there will be no school tomorrow,” it added.

However, this does not mean kids are exempt from school work.

“We are working closely with the Public Education Department to ensure that all required instructional hours are met in spite of this closure. We will notify you tomorrow of lesson plans for Wednesday and Thursday,” the email said.

Despite this, parents are still left with questions. On Nextdoor, parents are asking for baby-sitters and demanding answers as to why a leak happened in the first place.

“We understand the frustration surrounding this situation, and we apologize for the inconvenience this has caused. However, please know that everything that we have done has been with your child’s safety in mind. The safety and well-being of our students is paramount, and we will be exhaustive in our efforts to ensure that this priority is never compromised,” the email ended.