Message for Concerned Parents Re Friday's School Reopening

Updated Thursday 5 p.m.

Stratford Board of Education Chairman Gavin Forrester said in an email to Stratford Patch that the board is getting phone calls from parents concerned about tomorrow's reopening of school.

Forrester advised, "As always parents should make their own decisions regarding school attendance, especially if they have safety concerns that have not yet been addressed by public works and/or the highway department. The district would be completely understanding."

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Our original report follows.

Before Stratford students begin February vacation next week, they'll have to report to school one more time on Friday, Feb. 15.

The Stratford Board of Education just announced on its website that Stratford public schools will operate on a regular schedule tomorrow, for the first time since Thursday last week.

In an email to Stratford Patch Thursday, Board of Education Chairman Gavin Forrester said the district's bus company, Durham School Bus, has compiled "a list of problem areas" that has been forwarded to public works.

"We have been assured that they will all be addressed throughout the evening and into the early morning hours," Forrester told Patch. "As such we are reopening schools tomorrow in an effort to try and not further use inclement weather days which have been depleted by both Hurricane Sandy and Blizzard Nemo."

Forrester continued, "While I can understand that there will be some anxiousness by our decision I assure you that the Board [of Education] feels that it is important for our students to at least get in tomorrow so that they can catch up and be given assignments as needed which can be issued and completed over the coming break next week."

"We continue to review other options to further insured that our district meets the 180 school day requirement as established by state statute. On behalf of the board I wish to personally thank the mayor and his staff for so quickly allocating the resources needed to make this opening happen and for working so closely with our superintendent to make this a reality," Forrester said.

"It has been a long a difficult few days for everyone concerned and I hope that we can soon return to a more normal way of life and continue the education of our children."