Hoboken School Super Explains Snow Day Decisions

Hoboken, NJ – Are you wondering why the Hoboken Public School District was closed for two days this week?

In a Wednesday letter to district parents and guardians, Hoboken Schools Superintendent Christine Johnson explained the factors that went into her choice to close the district’s public schools this week on Monday and Tuesday due to the weekend blizzard.

Johnson cited multiple reasons that she chose to close school that included:

• Student safety
• A “snowball effect” from other neighboring schools in Weehawken, Union City, North Bergen, the Hudson County Schools of Technology and Jersey City

“Closing our schools is never an easy decision,” Johnson wrote. “I am fully aware that the closing of our schools impacts instructional time and causes inconveniences for working families.”

“First and foremost, the safety of our students and staff is my priority,” Johnson wrote. “In the hours leading up to making my decision regarding the closing of school, I must evaluate the condition of roads leading into and those in Hoboken. This evaluation not only includes the plowed roads, but also the height of snow banks along the sides of roads and at crosswalks. I must also assess sidewalks and walkways throughout the entire city.”

“On both Sunday and Monday, I spent hours observing the areas around our schools and driving through Hoboken. While doing so, I determined that even on Monday, many people walked along sidewalks and then transitioned into the streets due to private sidewalks that still had not been shoveled. I saw many cars still buried under snow. I also took note of the height of snow butted up against sidewalks and at crosswalks. These conditions contributed to my decision to close our schools yesterday.”

Johnson said that she’s seen multiple messages, emails and social media comments that criticize the decision to close schools because Hoboken is a “walking district.” But she added that though “the majority of our children walk to school,” many do so without adult supervision or with a sibling who may not be much older than they are.

“I was not willing to risk having our students, many of whom are not as tall as the snow banks, step out into the street at a crosswalk or take to walking in the street to avoid snow covered sidewalks,” Johnson wrote. “In addition, we do operate buses for our special needs students. I also have to take into consideration the ability of the buses to turn corners and safely pick up and drop off our students.”

Read Johnson’s full letter here.

What do you think, Hoboken? Do you agree with the decision to close schools in Hoboken for two days this week due to snow? Take the Patch reader poll below.

Photo via the City of Hoboken

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