Water loss more than dry faucets for OISD

The Olney Independent School District shut its doors for two-and-a-half days as a result of the citywide water outage, throwing students off schedule for their end-of-year tests and forcing high school seniors to reschedule the college ACT test to later this month. The delayed interim subject matter tests may weigh on students’ STAAR test results, as teachers lose time to address any weaknesses or questions, school officials said. Students stayed home on Tuesday, March 7, and returned in the late morning on March 9, then adjourned for spring break on Friday, March 10. The loss of class days could also affect the district’s state funding level.

“The loss of instructional time is huge, especially at this time of year,” OISD Superintendent Dr. Greg Roach said, citing the impact on the students’ practice of extracurricular activities such as standardized school tests and University Interscholastic League competitions.

“The water outage not only impacted the learning of students but it also prevented some of our students from receiving two quality meals each day,” Olney Junior High School Principal Ed Berngen said. “Olney Junior had to postpone our Social Studies, Reading, and Math Interims to after Spring Break as well.”

“We were worried about providing water to students on our campus,” Olney High School Principal Brianne Brock said. “When COVID hit and we added the water bottle refill stations, our students utilize these fountains frequently so with the boil mandate we had to close them. I gathered cases of water to bring to ensure our students would have water to drink. We had to push back our interim assessments.”

“When you think about your own household and their struggles, you are to also think about if students were able to wash their clothing, did they eat, were they able to shower, and all of these items affect their learning when they are able to return,” she said.