Students at J.S. Jenks Academy for the Arts and Sciences in Chestnut Hill were sent home early on Nov. 4 due to a loss of water service.

School administrators and the School District of Philadelphia dismissed students at 10:30 a.m. after a water line leak in the boiler room, principal Corinne Scioli told the Local in an email. School officials moved students to Water Tower Recreation Center to access running water, and be picked up.

The school district’s 10-year Facilities Master Plan — which the board of education approved in April and would close more than a dozen schools — aims to renovate old buildings that experience maintenance issues and environmental hazards. The district labeled Jenks, built in 1922, as “unsatisfactory” in terms of the overall building quality, safety and functionality.

Parents were first notified of the service disruption at 8:15 a.m. when the district said there was “a loss of water pressure across our facilities.” Students were told they couldn’t use the bathrooms at Jenks and there wasn’t enough water pressure at sinks and water fountains, one Jenks parent told the Local.

“Please note that we do not have authorization to relocate at this time. Once our action plan is vetted and approved by the district, we will follow up with further updates and next steps immediately,” the notification reads.

School officials emailed parents again at around 9 a.m., saying the water pressure situation had “escalated” and they were awaiting approval to relocate.

The district then announced early dismissal and relocation to parents at around 10:20 a.m. Teresa Fleming, the school district’s chief operating officer, stated in the letter that there was a loss of water service on the third floor and that staff were addressing the issue.

“We recognize the inconvenience unexpected disruption may cause for families and appreciate your flexibility and understanding as we work to resolve the issue,” Fleming wrote.

Students were given breakfast before being escorted to the recreation center, where they were offered lunch and supervised by school staff. Parents were then notified at around 5 p.m. that water service had been restored and school would open as usual Thursday morning.

According to the facilities plan, if the district secures additional government or philanthropic funding, it will install a full-service kitchen starting in the 2032-33 school year, as well as begin designing a modernization project in the 2026-27 school year to bring Jenks out of the “unsatisfactory” or “poor” categories.