Schools around the state are making every effort to keep students and staff members safe and warm and ensure that things go smoothly as temperatures dip into the single digits overnight and wind chills fall below zero.
East Haven superintendent Dr. Portia Bonner checked off items on a long to-do list at the high school Wednesday to ensure the town's schools will stand up to the brutal cold.
“In most cases, we do have more than one boiler in our old buildings, so if one goes down, we can also prevent any kind of cold temperatures from going on, but the key is to make sure those boilers are running overnight, so there's no freezing,” said Bonner.
She also put calls into the bus company and kept an eye on the forecast to determine whether to implement a delay Thursday morning. Bonner ultimately decided that, barring any emergencies, school will start on time, but said she wants to educate parents on the dangers the extreme cold poses to students.
“The waiting for the buses, making sure that the children are properly covered, so there are no skin areas exposed to the cold, cold temperatures, making sure there's hats and hoods and so on,” she explained.
School officials in New Haven are following suit.
Transportation Coordinator Teddi Barra said buses will start their engines around 3 a.m. to allow them ample time to warm up before students climb aboard.
Barra's office focuses on timely arrivals so that students, who may not be dressed properly, aren't waiting in cold conditions for long periods of time.
Meanwhile, the principal at Carrigan Intermediate School in West Haven plans to open the building early for students, who arrive early and would otherwise be waiting outside in the cold.
