No Pressure Means No School as Jackson Water Woes Drag On

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Thousands of public school and college students are staying home Monday in Mississippi’s capital city as a water crisis brought on by broken water mains drags on.

Jackson’s 27,000-student public school system, Jackson State University and Millsaps College all cancelled on-campus classes, citing low water pressure. Hinds Community College is relocating some classes.

City officials said Sunday that they’ve discovered more than 100 water mains that buckled in last week’s cold snap. Officials say they’ve completed repairs on fewer than half the mains, although they say water pressure has improved in parts of the 175,000-resident city.

The Jackson school system says three-quarters of public schools lack enough water to flush toilets or run heating boilers.

The city handed out water at three locations Sunday. A boil-water order remains in effect.