Power Outage, Possible Gas Leak Temporarily Close 4 Madison Schools

MADISON, CT — A transformer fire that led to a power outage in town, in addition to a possible gas leak, resulted in the closure of four schools Monday morning in Madison, even as some students were already on campus.

Brown Intermediate, Jeffrey Elementary, and Ryerson Elementary are closed Monday due to power outages, while Daniel Hand High School was dismissed early due to a possible gas leak.

In a message apologizing to parents, Schools Superintendent Craig Cooke, Ph.D., said that under normal circumstances, a decision to cancel classes due to weather is usually made by 5 a.m.

"At 5 AM today, the weather was manageable, outages were limited, and Districts on the shoreline were planning to start on time - I do recognize that changed in other communities as well," Cooke wrote on the district's website. "The decision to follow our normal schedule was made in consultation with our staff that manage facilities, busing and emergency response.

"High school students were already at Hand, and Polson and Brown students were en route to the buildings when we were informed that a transformer had caught fire and took out power to Ryerson and Brown Schools. Shortly thereafter, Jeffrey Elementary lost internet and phone use and both elementary schools were canceled for the day. When it was determined that Eversource could not give us an ETA for power restoration, we had to make the decision to cancel Brown for the day. Brown staff notified parents at drop off of this potential and students on the buses were brought into the cafeteria. I was just informed that Brown students have made it home safely."

Cooke apologized for the late notice to parents of the closures.

"We work hard to not give up instructional time but always recognize that safety is first and foremost," Cooke said. "Brown, Jeffrey, and Ryerson students will not need to make up this day at the end of the year."