Connor Lalande

Pontiac April 17, 2023

Pontiac High School was forced to send students home early due to water access issues on Tuesday April 11. In an email sent to parents and guardians of students, the schools principal, Debra Stephens, stated that they had been advised by the Municipality of Shawville that there was an issue with the water main and that the schools water needed to be shut off.

Students were asked to call their parents or guardians for permission to either walk home or to board an early bus that would take them home. Students who were not granted permission, or who were unable to reach parents or guardians, remained at the school and were sent home at the usual time.

According to Stephens’ email, water was gathered for use by those staying at the school after the initial cancellation of classes.

In an unrelated event, a suspicious odour at Ecole secondaire Sieur-de-Coulonge in Mansfield-et-Pontefract resulted in the school being evacuated on April 17. According to a press release, the irregular smell was detected early in the morning, and students and staff were cleared out from the building while the municipal fire department conducted an air quality assessment.

Following the assessment, students and staff were able to return to their regularly scheduled day.