Greenwich Public Schools Closed for Remainder of Week [UPDATE]

Update 10:15 a.m., Oct. 31

Citing widespread power outages and downed trees and wires, the district has cancelled school in Greenwch for the remainder of the week.

Board of Education spokesperson Kim Eves told media outlets in an email that a decision regarding next week would be made by 2 p.m. Sunday.

Currently, 67 percent of Greenwich is without power, according to CL&P.

"The schools remain closed due to loss of power, limited access to schools due to downed trees and wires and concerns about pedestrian safety," she said.

According to Eves, families will be notified through the District Web Site, Parentlink calls and emails, and local and regional media outlets.

Original Story (Oct. 28)

Greenwich public schools will be closed Monday through Wednesday, district officials announced moments ago.

According to a press release issued by the Board of Education, school officials will notify parents and residents at 2 p.m. Wednesday about the rest of the week.

Greenwich Superintendent of Schools William S. McKersie said in a press release Sunday that schools likely "will be closed for some number of days" given the severe wind, rain, flooding and outages that the town is facing.

"We felt it prudent to announce the closing of schools today, while access to communications is still available and so that families can make plans to care for their school-aged children," McKersie said.

According to the National Weather Service, Hurricane Sandy is expected to make landfall

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some time Monday, "during which time Sandy will transition to an extratropical system."

Town officials have said Sandy could rank among the worst storms Greenwich has seen. Late Saturday, First Selectman Peter Tesei declared a state of emergency for Greenwich, urging residents of coastal and low-lying areas to evacuate.

McKersie said that while it's impossible to predict how long schools will be closed, "based on the information we have at this time, we believe that we will need at least until Wednesday to see through the impact of the storm and make decisions about the status of re-opening the schools."

According to Tesei, emergency shelters will be opened at:

• Eastern Middle School (open at 12 p.m. Sunday)
• Bendheim Western Greenwich Civic Center (open at 6 p.m. Sunday)
• Note for pet owners: Only service animals will be allowed into the shelters.

Other Hurricane Sandy-related coverage from Greenwich Patch:

• Metro-North to Suspend Service on New Haven Line Sunday Evening
• Tips for Hurricane Preparations for Alzheimer's Patients
• Sandy Will Be Historic for Many Reasons. Preparations Should be Complete Today!
• Hurricane Sandy 'Could Be The Most Severe Storm' Town Encounters [VIDEOS] [UPDATED]