Manchester Closes Schools As Kids Stand At Bus Stops

MANCHESTER, NJ — Trying to decide when and whether to close schools has become a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't call for schools across New Jersey this winter.

On Wednesday, however, the Manchester Township School District found itself in hot water with parents after it announced its decision to close less than an hour before classes were to begin at Manchester Township High School.

The late notice left students waiting at bus stops and left many parents scrambling for supervision for children they had expected would be in school.

"645 AM is when I get a phone call from the school?" one father wrote on the school district's Facebook page under the announcement about the school closing. "My high schooler was standing at the bus stop for (a) half hour waiting for a bus that was never coming. People have younger kids and have to go to work, who exactly are you calling at that time of day? The weather forecast hasn't changed, these actions that are irresponsible and inconsiderate."

"My child was already at early care at MTES!!!" a mother wrote. "I report for work at 0700, get the call as I'm pulling into work, school closed, then have to scramble to find someone to go get my kid and watch for the day. Awesome last minute decision Manchester!!"

Superintendent David Trethaway, in a message posted to the school district's website, apologized for the delayed notification.

"I would like to apologize for any inconvenience that was caused by the later announcement for the school closing today. Unfortunately, there was a problem with my ability to make connections to complete the announcement in a timely manner," Trethaway's statement said.

He said the decision to close was made after conferring with other districts and considering the possibility of having students and staff on the road during dangerous weather.

"Again, I apologize for any inconvenience and we will take steps to ensure this does not occur again," Trethaway wrote.

While a number of districts in New Jersey on Tuesday evening announced early dismissals for Wednesday, most Ocean County districts were in a wait-and-see mode.

However, early Wednesday morning, in the wake of state of emergency declaration by Gov. Phil Murphy and with forecasts indicating the snowfall would begin earlier, a number of Ocean County school districts closed. Toms River, Brick and Jackson all announced closings before 6 a.m. Read more: Gov. Phil Murphy Declares State Of Emergency In NJ

The Manchester Township Board of Education is scheduled to have a meeting Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m. It was unclear Wednesday morning whether the meeting will be held

"My son waited 25 minutes on the bus stop in the freezing cold because you canceled 25 minutes AFTER his scheduled pick up time. Way to go, Manchester!" another mother wrote. "If my son was this irresponsible, I’d be getting a call home from school."

Another parent offered that the district should have followed its past practices: "A call should have gone out last night or even at the usual 4 am, just letting us know they will be waiting until 6am to make the final call! No consideration for teens driving, Y-kids, staff & kids waiting at the bus stop in 29 degree weather."

One commenter, however, was looking for the positive in the situation

"I feel bad for all the faculty and staff that already left for work or were already at the HS," he wrote. "On the bright side, nobody needs to worry about driving in bad conditions later today."

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Manchester Township High School via Manchester Township Schools