ROCHESTER, N.Y. — RCSD School No. 7 will remain open on Thursday after a power outage the day earlier that left many teachers frustrated.

The outage led to limited lighting in the halls, classrooms, and bathrooms at the Virgil I. Grissom School in the Maplewood Park neighborhood on Wednesday. One teacher said they weren’t happy with the lack of communication from the Rochester City School District.

“The kids were– are we supposed to be here? It’s kind of creepy,” said a teacher who wanted to remain anonymous.

The outage happened just before 8:15 a.m. About 40 minutes later, the generator turned on but that didn’t help much, according to the teacher.

“The urinals have some type of sensor that needs electricity,” the teacher said. “The boys – it was really unfair to them – because one toilet for maybe 70 boys on a floor.”

Many teachers were left frustrated after being told by administrators that power would be back shortly. But four hours later, the situation had not improved.

“When lunch came along, the first lunch they had was frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They were completely frozen with the crystals on the outside,” the teacher said.

The teacher says the kids were eating “popsicle sandwiches” and the scariest thing was that they couldn’t even contact parents. Kids were left cold, in the dark, wanting to go home, and worried.

“Kids were asking us questions I didn’t know the answer to. Will the fire alarm work? Will the sprinklers work are we still safe? Some of these doors are electric does that mean people can come and go,” the teacher said.

Teachers say administrators did come around to the classrooms and did what they could, but they said they did not believe it was safe for kids to be kept in school. Another teacher added in a statement that students with disabilities were stranded on the first floor because the elevators were out.

The power outage also impacted the Rochester International Academy and the Andrew Langston Middle School, both of which are closed on Thursday. RCSD released this statement about the power outages:

“Earlier today, three of our schools (School 7, Rochester International Academy, and Andrew Langston Middle School) experienced a power outage during an electrical interruption in the area. While backup generators provided partial power, School No. 7 experienced additional challenges, including limited WiFi, two-way radio communication, and electronic student bathroom sensors that were not operational. As a result, students used staff restrooms and were provided sandwiches, fresh fruits, and vegetables for lunch due to kitchen equipment being affected.”

“Throughout the disruption, heat remained on, and additional staff from our Safety and Security team were on-site to provide support. We are grateful to our staff, who ensured our students remained safe throughout the day. RG&E has informed us that full power restoration is expected later this evening. We appreciate the patience and cooperation of our students, staff, and families as we work through this situation.”

News10NBC spoke to the RCSD Board President and she said they are looking into the cause of the outages. RG&E says the cause appears to be an equipment issue but didn’t specify further.

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