Water main break forces closure of Belleville school district

District 175 students will return to school Tuesday after a water main break closed schools Monday.

A water main break at Ellis Elementary caused a meter well to overflow and spill water into the parking lot, Superintendent Dustin Nail said. It was uncertain Monday morning if students and staff would have a functioning water supply, which led to the decision to close the building and cancel classes.

Nail said because many families have multiple students in the district and may need to rely on older children to care for their younger Ellis siblings, all District 175 schools closed Monday. Parents and guardians were notified around 6 p.m. Sunday, he said.

“We didn’t want to make things harder on families than necessary,” Nail said.

Monday’s school closure is being counted as an emergency day, meaning students will make up the day at the end of the school year.

The problem was fixed mid-day Monday, and school will resume Tuesday.

The inside of the school was not damaged by the water main break, Nail said.