HEAVY afternoon rains yesterday flooded the RJR Basic School on Beechwood Avenue in Kingston, causing students to seek refuge on top of desks and chairs, even as staff and parents struggled to keep out the water, which rose almost ankle-deep in the classrooms and knee high in the school yard.

School administrators said yesterday that classes would be suspended today for the 300 students to accommodate the clean-up of the facilities, which were just last week prepared for Monday’s reopening of the school.

“We had to put the children on top of the desks and the chairs so they didn’t get wet and it is since everything calm down that they started coming down,” said one teacher, as she assisted with the clean-up.

“But I am really happy that nothing happened to the children because it could have been worse,” she added.

Another staff member told the Observer that she bailed out as much as nine buckets of water out of one classroom.

“I can’t believe the water flow in so fast because I had to keep bailing out the water and is nine buckets I throw out,” she added.

A parent who waded in several inches of water to get to his daughter told the Observer that it was not the first time the school was flooded.

“Something really needs to be done about this because the classrooms and the yard are on the same level so when it rains the water keeps coming into the classroom,” he said.

Acting principal Julie-Ann Garvin attributed the ongoing flooding to clogged drains on the premises, which she said needs to be dealt with immediately.

“The draining system needs to be looked at thoroughly because it is not taking away the water properly. Also, the school is on a slope and so the water runs off into the classrooms all the time,” she added.

The principal said it was the quick action of staff and parents yesterday which prevented the waters from rising higher in the classrooms.