All public schools in Springfield will be closed for another day.
View full sizeThis aerial shot of Main Street in downtown Springfield Thursday, shows damage caused by the tornado that hit the city Wednesday.SPRINGFIELD – Two public schools are not expected to reopen this month because of serious damage caused by Wednesday’s tornado, according to the School Department.
The schools that were hit especially hard, and are not expected to reopen this school year are the Mary A. Dryden Veterans Memorial School at 190 Surrey Road, and the Elias Brookings School at 367 Hancock St., said Azell M. Cavaan, communications director.
Meanwhile, all public schools will be closed on Friday, Cavaan said.
School officials are currently working out a contingency plan to find alternate locations for Dryden and Brookings schools to conduct classes until the end of the school year, Cavaan said.
“We expect that communications to Dryden and Brookings families and staff will occur via a direct phone call, the Springfield Public Schools website,
Power outages had continued to affect more than 20 schools, as of late morning on Thursday, Cavaan said.
Structural engineers are currently inspecting all of the district’s schools for safety-related issues, Cavaan said. Assessments regarding school safety and the general ability for school buses and student walkers to safely traverse the city will continue on a daily basis.
Any possible further school closures will be contingent upon those evaluations.
A School Committee meeting scheduled Thursday night has been canceled.