Davis High loses power, sends kids home early

A power failure sent Davis High students home early Monday, and it was unclear if school would resume Tuesday.

An underground electrical feed from a main transformer to a wing of the campus went out early in the day, said Modesto City Schools spokeswoman Becky Fortuna.

It was not known by noon Monday if the outage was related to the weather, or how long it would last, Fortuna said.

Parents were called and told school would let out at 1 p.m., just over an hour early for most kids, with busing provided. The Spartans got to go to all of their classes, just on a shorter schedule, and had hot lunch as usual, Fortuna said.

An evening robocall is planned to let parents know about attending tomorrow, she said.

Davis High, with 1,661 students, is the smallest of Modesto’s seven public high schools. Built in 1961, a recent building needs survey found the campus needed a $2.9 million electrical system overhaul, part of about $35 million in fixes recommended.

It is the only Modesto campus with all students checking out laptops, and is home to the district’s program to let students earn college credit while in high school, the health careers and public safety academies, and the Language Institute program for new immigrants.

This story was originally published January 9, 2017 at 1:26 PM with the headline "Davis High loses power, sends kids home early."