Decision on Farmington Schools to be Made Tuesday Morning

The decision as to whether Farmington public schools will open Tuesday will be made in the morning, according to Superintendent of Schools Kathleen C. Greider.

"We hope to be in school tomorrow," Greider wrote in a message to parents, faculty and staff. "If we require a delay or another school closing day, we will alert parents and faculty tomorrow morning. If you do not receive notification, we will resume school at the regular time tomorrow."

Greider said that the town' and school district's staff has worked diligently to prepare to have school open for tomorrow, and that the bus company has done practice runs to determine what roads needed additional work.

"On behalf of the entire school district, we thank our dedicated road crews, school custodians and M&J Bus company for their hard work to prepare our town and schools for the return of students," Greider wrote.

In addition, Greider highlighted the following:

• Snow Banks and Sidewalks:  Snow banks are high and this will be an issue for many days to come.  We encourage all drivers, including our high school students, to travel with great caution due to the limited visibility that has been caused by snow banks.  In addition, we ask parents to drive walkers to and from school because of the potential lack of sidewalk clearing in some areas of town as well as high snow banks.  Carpooling is encouraged. 

• Bus Stops and Sidewalks:   Due to the potential lack of sidewalk clearing in some areas of town and snow banks, we have asked parents and students to wait in a cleared driveway nearest to their bus stops for bus pick up and drop off.  We are attaching a list of neighborhood roads that are normally narrow and the snow has impacted these roads more so than other roads.  We want to provide guidance on these revised bus routes and bus stop changes.  This will be an issue for the remainder of the week.  We urge all Farmington residents to clear sidewalks to maintain the safest walking environment for students.  Parents are asked to drive students to and from bus stops if there is limited sidewalk clearing in your neighborhood.  Once again, carpooling is encouraged. 

• Side Roads:  Bus travel may be slowed.  Please be patient and give bus drivers the right of way when streets are narrow.  Our bus drivers will be taking extreme precautions; their highest priority is student safety.   Parents should expect some delays when students return to school. 

• Neighborhood Paths:  Although much progress has been made, not all neighborhood paths have been cleared. Please be aware of this if your child uses neighborhood paths to walk to and from school.