Water line damage closes Decatur’s only middle school for a day

Middle school students in Decatur were on the streets late Tuesday morning after a water line was “compromised,” prompting the closure of the city’s only middle school.

Renfroe Middle School students were released at 10 a.m. after water service to the school had to be shut off to facilitate repairs.

The compromised line was described as a water “main” in a message to parents from the City Schools of Decatur, but it was not a water main in the DeKalb County system and no other properties in the area were affected. Rather, the compromised water line belongs to the school district. A district spokeswoman confirmed that the damage was to the school’s privately-owned service pipe and said it was construction-related.