A crew from Altoona Water Authority dig at Eighth Street and 14th Street on Monday afternoon to make repairs to the broken water line feeding Altoona Area Junior High School. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

A water main break near the Altoona Area Junior High School resulted in a work-from-home day for students in that building, who were told not to report to school and instead check their Google Classroom for assignments.

The water main break and resulting repair work did not affect other school district facilities.

Today, the entire district will operate on an asynchronous learning day due to the potential for early-

morning icy travel conditions and the continued water issues at the junior high school, said Paula Foreman, community relations director.

All students were sent home Monday with their classroom assignments to complete, Foreman said.

The Altoona Area High School’s Greater Altoona Career and Technology Center students are not expected to attend classes at the center Tuesday.

According to Altoona Area’s 2025-26 district calendar, Tuesday was scheduled as a half-day for students, who will be on Christmas vacation until Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.