UPDATE: Crews Continue to Repair High School Phone Outage

Crews are continuing to work on a phone outage that's been affecting since late Thursday afternoon.

Today, the district sent out an email to parents addressing some of the details regarding the issue: 

"Phone service in the district utilizes Verizon lines running both underground and above ground next to East McMurray Road. While we are not Verizon customers directly, problems in these lines interrupt our service." 

District staff said, in the past year, water has been seeping into the underground lines causing major issues and interruptions to service. 

Currently, Verizon is making the transition to fiber lines through , so service to the copper lines is only done as needed and is complicated by the power lines running in the same locations—which also have been compromised by water.

Mike Clutter, of CableTechs which serves as the liaison between the district and Verizon, said technicians unofficially told him that the situation should be rectified in 24-36 hours. 

"There a definite concern with safety issues because it's the fifth day," he said. "Verizon is focusing on Fios and fiber optics, and not on upkeep or repair is what it comes down to."

A district spokesperson said the administration has "repeatedly expressed to Verizon representatives the frustrations of our parents and staff, and the safety concerns related to the lack of service in our schools."

The outages which frequently affect the high school, also affect —as they are fed by the same lines. 

While restoration work continues, district staff said they are exploring other long-term options for the district. 

A wireless solution for the high school's alarm systems have been installed in order to ensure that emergency systems are operational at all times. 

"It's very important," he said. "Because cellular phones do not work everywhere in the high school. I live here, too. There's always that 'what if?'"

He said he continues to check every hour on the progress. 

Parents can continue to reach the building via email. And, in the case of an emergency, the high school staff may also be reached by calling 724-941-4238. 

All calls to the high school's main number have been temporarily rerouted to the main district line.

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