When the Tank Runs Dry at Mt. Pleasant Secondary
Mt. Pleasant Secondary has 920 students and 38 teachers. Its main 5,000-gallon tank is fed by a pump that failed nine days ago. Trucked water now arrives at 1,200 gallons per day, but the canteen sells sugary drinks and there is no free drinking-water station. Baseline absenteeism is 6%; it is now 14%. Three students have suspected gastroenteritis, and two toilets are blocked. The principal must decide whether to close the school, ration water, or keep operating normally. The PTA offers $4,000, but district procurement rules require three quotes for purchases above $1,000. A pump repair quote is $3,200; a temporary tank rental is $900 per week. The school day is 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The education officer says closure requires written justification within 24 hours.
1. Using the figures, decide whether the principal should close the school temporarily or keep it open with rationing. State the criteria you use.
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Decision: close temporarily for up to two school days while a safe supply is restored, unless a verified alternative supply is in place. Criteria: (1) safe drinking water for 958 people; (2) handwashing before food and after toilet use; (3) sufficient toilet function; (4) ability to isolate suspected gastroenteritis cases; (5) equity - students who cannot buy drinks must not be excluded.
Reasoning: 1,200 gallons is about 4,542 litres. That is roughly 4.7 litres per person, which could cover drinking but leaves little for handwashing and toilets. With 14% absenteeism, three suspected cases, and blocked toilets, the school cannot assure basic hygiene. Closure is justified for a short, defined period, not indefinitely. The principal should document the decision within 24 hours and set a reopening trigger: tank repair, verified water quality, and working toilets.
2. Rank the following uses of the 1,200 gallons delivered daily: drinking water, handwashing, toilet flushing, canteen drink sales. Explain your ranking.
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Ranking: 1 drinking water; 2 handwashing; 3 toilet flushing; 4 canteen drink sales.
Drinking is first because dehydration and heat exposure are immediate health risks, and water is a basic need. Handwashing is second because it interrupts faecal–oral transmission, especially with suspected gastroenteritis; it protects the whole school. Toilet flushing is third: toilets must function for dignity and sanitation, but low-flush or bucket flushing can reduce demand. Canteen sales are last because they are commercial, not a right, and sugary drinks are not a safe substitute for water. The canteen should stop selling drinks until free drinking water is available, or sell only sealed water with proceeds funding the supply. This ranking protects health first and avoids making students pay for a basic need.
3. The PTA offers $4,000, but procurement requires three quotes and the pump repair quote is $3,200. Explain how the principal should act to restore water quickly without breaking rules.
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Action plan: First, check whether the district has an emergency procurement clause for health and safety. If yes, use it and document why. If not, obtain three written quotes by phone or email within 24 hours; the $3,200 repair and $900 weekly rental can be compared with a second repairer and a tank supplier. Second, accept the PTA funds as a donation to the school, not as a contract award; record the donation and use normal procurement for the work. Third, if quotes delay repair, rent the temporary tank for one week as an emergency measure while completing quotes. Fourth, report all steps to the education officer. The aim is to restore water quickly without creating a fairness or audit problem.