November 1, 2011
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Tomorrow, Wednesday, November 2, the South Orange-Maplewood School District will be open with the
possible exception of the South Mountain Annex and Marshall School.
The district made the decision to close for the past two days after consultation with Maplewood and South
Orange town leaders, police and fire departments who indicated that walking conditions were hazardous in
both towns.
The unfortunate aftermath of Saturday’s storm has left the Annex and Marshall School without full power.
PSE&G has informed us that they will be working to restore power in these schools, and we will inform the
staff and families in these two schools as soon as power is restored. If power is not restored, we will be
unable to open the two buildings tomorrow, and we will notify parents and staff at 5:30 a.m. that the two
locations are closed.
We are concerned about the many complications this storm has caused the community, especially the
resulting problems related to downed power lines and trees. In order for the district to open schools
tomorrow, we are asking parents and guardians to help us ensure safe passage for their children by doing the
following:
• Before your children leave for school in the morning, please review the route they will take and
identify possible hazards or street closures with them. If necessary, please determine an alternate
route.
• If possible, please accompany your children to school or to the bus stop. Please anticipate that buses
may arrive off schedule. If a bus stop is inaccessible, the bus will stop at the nearest accessible
corner.
• Instruct your children to not go near downed wires and to stay away from piled branches.
• If you drive in the morning, please plan extra time and use extreme caution as some blocked
walkways may force pedestrians into the street. Please also be courteous of others and mindful of
traffic flow at drop off areas to minimize unnecessary congestion.
In addition, community members can help by being outside to assist children around downed trees and
keeping an eye out for everyone’s safety in the morning.
When schools are closed for inclement weather or other emergencies for more than the three allotted days,
the first make-up day will be during spring recess beginning with April 2, 2012, working forward to April 5,
2012 as needed, or at the end of the school year if emergency closings occur after April 6, 2012. Columbia
High School has already used its three allotted days. These days are tracked by individual school.
Thank you for your patience and understanding. The safety and welfare of your children and our staff is our
main concern.
Sincerely,
Brian G. Osborne, Ed.D.
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