Milford, Mass. — Students at Milford High School are navigating an obstacle course of buckets and recycling bins containing dirty water from multiple roof leaks.
Parents sent Boston 25 News pictures and video of hallways and common areas strewn with dozens of bins of brown water that students say smell awful. One photo shows a construction cone duct-taped upside-down to a stairway railing, apparently funneling water into a bucket below.
Several families shared concerns about the health and safety of their kids as well as teachers and administrators.
“I was appalled. That was disgusting,” said Samantha Gundacker of her 16-year-old daughter, showing her the photos. “My concerns, of course, are health. There, I’m sure, are a lot of students who have asthma and immunocompromised systems that – if there is mold growing in the wall, which probably there is – that would affect every student and our teachers and staff that are also in the building.”
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Superintendent Kevin McIntyre told Boston 25 News by email that there are three main areas of the high school affected by leaks, and he is working to address them with the school committee and the school’s facilities and maintenance teams.
“There is no evidence that there are any issues related to mold, and the discoloration of the water is due to the leaks starting at the roof and meandering through the building,” McIntyre said. “This year the leaks in the main hallway are substantial and worse than they have been in the past. Ballast roofs over twenty years old can experience a number of issues that can lead to leaks.”
McIntyre added that he expects the issue “will also diminish due to the snow and ice pack melting.”
Parents are also concerned about students slipping on the floor while shuffling to class and any possible contaminants in the collecting water.
The district is currently in the building process for a new or renovated high school with the Massachusetts School Building Authority, McIntyre said. Milford is completing its eligibility period before moving to the feasibility study phase next year, he said.
For Gundacker, who also has two younger children who will eventually attend the high school, a solution cannot come soon enough.
“I’ve grown up in this town. I went to school here, I graduated here, and I want the same for my kids,” Gundacker said. “It’s a great community, but I do think that the school needs some attention.”
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