JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville School for Autism is closed indefinitely after wastewater overflowed inside the building Wednesday.
JEA was notified about a sanitary sewer backup at the school off Southside Boulevard early Wednesday afternoon.
When a field technician arrived, they found the inside of the school flooded.
JEA officials said the flooding stemmed from heavy rainfall which inundated the school's sewer collection system.
JEA crews were able to return the system to normal operations, but the school is now tasked with a huge cleanup.
JEA officials said it called a local cleaning service to assist the school with recovery and sanitation efforts.
"We've had to shut school down until further notice until we know what we can do," said Michelle Dunham, the school's executive director.
Dunham said the school needs to rip up the flooring and carpet due to the flooding.
"We have never had this situation happen, so we're hoping that we can get to the bottom of it," she said. "What we're living through right now is extremely traumatic on our program and devastating to our kids and our families."