Some Bend, Redmond school roofs spring leaks

Massive snow buildup on school roofs had parents and students concerned, but now that they are being cleared, there’s a new issue. NewsChannel 21 has been receiving pictures and videos of ceiling leaks at several schools.

At Mountain View High School, for example, hallways are lined with trash cans and some soaked ceiling tiles have fallen.

A Mountain View High School student sent NewsChannel 21 a photo of a fallen ceiling tile and said the leaks were occurring “everywhere.”

“Don’t tell me that’s nothing to worry about,” the student said.

Bend-La Pine Schools spokeswoman Alandra Johnson said Thursday, “We’re not surprised by these leaks,”

“When you have a weather event of this nature and there’s so much snow and so much snow melt and heavy water that takes place, we expect some amount of leakage,” Johnson added.

Dan Dummit, the district’s maintenance supervisor, said leaks like this are normal and not a sign of structural damage.

“Our schools are completely safe, because the structural engineers have been through them,” he said. “We wouldn’t even let staff in the schools without their okay.”

Officials say any number of things can cause leaks, many of them minor.

“A rock gets stuck in a person’s boot while they’re up walking on the roof, pokes a small hole in it,” Johnson said. “Or for instance, the snow blowers, blowing snow into some vents. So you know, these leaks are not emergency measures, they’re kind of expected maintenance.”

The roofs with such issues are currently being repaired.

“The safety of students is the No. 1 concern, and buildings are buildings, and things happen that we can’t control, and as long as students are safe,” that’s what matters, said Mountain View High School teacher Tyler Winterholler.

Dummit said the roofs will dry quickly, leaving no chance of future threats like rot or mold.

Redmond school officials have dealt with similar issues and expressed similar reaction.

“We know that with the melt-off that there’s going to be water in places that you don’t think it should be,” said Redmond Superintendent Mike McIntosh. “And as those materialize, on the roof or on the floor or under the wall, it’s not because they’re structurally unsound or there’s been damage done.”