The ongoing water crisis in Jackson, Mississipppi has not only left residents without a reliable water supply, it has forced students out of the classroom.
In the meantime, students in Jackson Public Schools, a predominantly Black K-12 district, and institutions like Jackson State University, are attending virtual classes, drinking bottled or boiled water and hoping they’ll be able to return to the classroom in the next week.
George Stewart, a middle school teacher in Jackson Public Schools and president of the Jackson Association of Educators, said he and other district educators are deeply concerned this could lead to a major step back for their students who just made gains in state testing this past year. “This has been a break that has been waiting to happen and it’s a byproduct of an aging infrastructure and water system that’s badly needed repairs and requires major, major dollars to fix,” said Jackson State University President Thomas Hudson. “That’s been known for a while and we really need to find a long-term fix here.”
In its request, the university also asked for a water and sewer line infrastructure assessment, the repair and enlargement of its storm water lines and a new water filtration system. The request also remarked on the city’s aged and fragile infrastructure that contains lines made of toxic metals.
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