KENNETT SQUARE – Kennett High School was closed Friday after school officials found legionella bacteria in the school’s hot water system during routine testing, according to a letter shared with the school community.
The legionella bacteria was behind the 1976 outbreak of Legionnaire’s Disease during an American Legion convention in Philadelphia. The water-born bacteria can cause severe respiratory infection if not treated.
School district officials are working with the Chester County Health Department and have contracted with an environmental remediation firm to eliminate the bacteria from the water system. The school’s showers and the spigot in the boiler room that tested positive will be shut down until remediation and testing of the system is complete, expected to be about two weeks.
