Canton water issue affects several local schools

By Devna Bose | Originally published by Mississippi Today

Two-thirds of Canton public school students had their school day disrupted Monday due to an electrical issue at the city’s water treatment plant.

Canton Municipal Utilities announced Monday on social media that an electrical issue at a water treatment plant resulted in a loss of water services and reduced water pressure in some parts of Canton. The issue was resolved, according to the statement, and water service and pressure should return to normal.

The water issue affected four school buildings — Huey Porter Middle, Canton High, Goodloe Elementary and Canton Elementary — comprising more than 2,000 students of the district’s 3,137 total enrollment.

Students and teachers at the affected schools were transported to other district schools with functioning water, Superintendent Bonita Coleman said in an announcement on Facebook.

Students at Huey Porter Middle and Canton High were dismissed early at 11 a.m. Parents could also pick up their students.

In its Facebook post, the school district mischaracterized the cause of the water loss. Howard Young, general manager of CMU, said the district was inaccurate in describing the issues as a “water main break.”

“It was an electrical issue,” he said. “It’s resolved, and students should definitely be able to return to their [regular] schools tomorrow.”

Correction 10/12/26: This story has been updated to reflect the correct cause of temporary water loss to several Canton schools.

This article was originally published by Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Source: Original Article