Schools

Little Silver Back Pedals on School Reopening

The district's superintendent announced a reopening on Tuesday and then quickly rescinded the decision, causing frustration for some Little Silver parents.

A decision to reopen Little Silver schools on Tuesday was reversed when the borough's office of emergency management determined conditions were unsafe for travel, causing frustration for some parents.

"The Board of Education, police, local officials and I want nothing more than to open school and create a sense of normalcy for the children of Little Silver," wrote Little Silver Superintendent of Schools Dr. Carolyn Kossack in a letter to parents on Sunday announcing the delay.

Kossack indicated in an earlier letter that the desire to meet the 180 day legislative requirement also played a part in scheduling split sessions for students at Markham Place beginning Tuesday.

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"The daily updates with regards to our school schedule is outrageous and beyond maddening," wrote one parent in an e-mail to Patch on Monday about the district's decision to make day-by-day calls on whether to close schools. Many local districts, including Red Bank Regional High School, will reopen Monday, Nov. 12.

"Nobody has a crystal ball," Board President Kevin Brennan told Patch. "We felt initially that Tuesday would be a safe date to go ahead with it."

Find out what's happening in Little Silver-Oceanportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

But Little Silver OEM remain concerned with downed wires and an increase in traffic due to voting and school pick up and drop off, according to Brennan.

Brennan said the desire to restore a routine for students and get them into a heated building led the decision to reopen Tuesday initially.

But one Little Silver parent, whose family's home was destroyed by the hurricane, expressed frustration that she was unable to send her children to stay with relatives for fear of missing out on school.

"I understand the school's reluctance to close because it throws the calendar out of whack; at the same time it is making it very, very difficult for parents . . . who have lost our homes to the hurricane and can't make any plans for the well-being of our children," she wrote in an e-mail. "Taking things on a day by day basis means that I can't place my kids with relatives out of town who can take care of them while I salvage any belongings I can from a house that is now uninhabitable."

The district will inform parents when schools can reopen when they receive clearance from the borough's OEM. "I am fully aware of the frustration of not knowing day-to-day if school is opening," Kossack said.


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