Cohasset School District Under Fire For Handling Of Snow Closing
COHASSET (CBS) -- The Cohasset School District told parents Monday morning that school would be closed--but the message came only a short time after the school community was told class would go on as scheduled.
"I didn't know whether they were going to have school or not," said Cohasset parent Maggie Moy. "And we knew it was probably going to come down to the very bitter end, whether it was Sunday night or Monday morning."
Moy awoke Monday morning on the ready, anticipating what would be the third snow day of the year for her four kids.
"I got up at 5 a.m. and everyone around was closed except for Cohasset and Hull," she says. "At three minutes to six this morning, we got an email from our superintendent saying that we had school," said Moy.
But within an hour, there came an about-face from the superintendent, cancelling school via an email and robocall.
"The most disturbing thing is that the buses were already rolling, and students were already being picked up," said Moy.
Moy said the back-and-forth could have been handled much differently. She said Cohasset Police, the town's Department of Public Works, and the school system work together to decide on closings.
"The call should have been made, or at least a delay and then to a cancellation," she said. "But something should have been done."
Barbara Cataldo, superintendent of Cohasset schools, had not yet responded to a request for comment.
Cohasset's Chief of Police told WBZ-TV's Nicole Jacobs that they're just the messenger--they simply relay whatever the school district decides in regard to closings or delays.
Despite the confusion, some folks didn't mind the snow day since there haven't been many to take during the winter.
"It's great. The kids can get out in the fresh air," one mom told WBZ-TV's Bill Shields while watching her daughter sled. "But I guess this was inconvenient for some parents."
WBZ-TV's Bill Shields contributed to this report.