Needham Schools Back In Session Wednesday

Needham Public Schools are expected to open at their regular time on Wednesday, Oct. 31, two days after Hurricane Sandy caused serious power outages and other damage around town.

District Superintendent Dan Gutekanst sent out the following e-mail on Tuesday evening:

It is my expectation that the Needham Public Schools will open on time tomorrow, Wednesday, October 31st.

This evening I attended a meeting with Town Manager Kate Fitzpatrick and Needham's public safety officials to review plans for continuing tree, power line, and debris clean up. Town, utility, and public safety officials are working very hard to restore power to isolated areas in Needham, and they are focused on having roads ready for the morning commute.

•  All schools have power and will be ready for classes tomorrow.

•  Crews will continue to work throughout the day to continue their repair and clean up efforts.

•  Students and all commuters must take extra time to get to school/work and be careful at those few intersections where power is still out or tree limbs remain on the side of the road or are blocking the sidewalk.  In some cases wet leaves may cover branches or wires that have been cut and are not live; students walking to school should take their time, watch where they are stepping, and be alert.

•  Buses will likely be delayed, and the drivers have been encouraged to take their time to ensure safety.

•  Students, staff, and parents should be careful and plan extra time to get to school.

A few parents have told me they do not wish to be contacted by phone early in the morning in the event of a weather-related school cancellation. If you wish to opt out of our weather-related school cancellation notification system please follow the instructions posted on the district's website: http://www.needham.k12.ma.us/. Under "Hot Topics" on the left side of the page, click "No School/Two Hour Delay" to download a PDF detailing instructions.

Finally, my most recent blog post can be found here:  http://npssuperintendent.blogspot.com/

I appreciate everyone's patience and look forward to a full day of classes tomorrow.

Take your time and be safe.

Sincerely,

Dan Gutekanst 
Superintendent of Schools