Principal Chris Ashley announced that Barrington High School would have a half-day of classes on Tuesday, Dec. 5, due to a plumbing issue at the school. 

According to multiple sources, the problem was backed up sewage pipes inside the high school kitchen.

In an email to students’ parents, Ashley wrote that the plumbing problem surfaced on Monday morning, Dec. 4, and forced officials to shut down the high school kitchen. The school lunch provider, Chartwells, coordinated the delivery of cold lunches from the middle school “to ensure we could provide all students with lunch and finish the regular school day.”

School officials have decided to have a half-day at Barrington High School on Tuesday. 

Barrington Superintendent of Schools Michael Messore said the district does not have enough food inventory to provide school lunches to high school students on Tuesday. Barrington school officials had to throw out all of the food that had been inside the high school kitchen when the plumbing issue surfaced on Monday. The district also hired a company to come in and clean the entire kitchen. 

Messore said that other schools helped provide the needed food — approximately 600 meals — for Monday’s lunches, but they will not able to do so on Tuesday. The next food delivery will not take place until after lunchtime on Tuesday, Messore said. Monday’s lunches consisted of fruit, vegetables and cereal. 

Messore said there have been three or four plumbing problems at the high school in the past year.

“The high school is aging,” he said. 

Barrington officials are currently planning a school construction project; voters recently approved a $250 million bond. School leaders are still working on the specific plans for the work.