Oxford to delay start of school, other districts make changes due to flooding damage

Oxford is delaying the start of school because of damage from the heavy rains and flooding on Sunday.

School was supposed to start on Aug. 28, but several roads remain closed, the superintendent said, the streets are not safe for buses to travel on and bus companies will need to develop new routes.

Dr. Robert Miller, the superintendent of schools, said the best-case scenario is that school will start sometime during the week of Sept. 3, but they will need to reassess next week to determine the exact date.

He said a virtual or hybrid start to school presents challenges and they want students in school but must do so safely.

The decision to delay schools comes as the National Weather Service is looking at the possibility that Sunday's historic rain event set a record for the most rainfall ever in Connecticut over a 24-hour period.

They are reviewing two totals that were reported by private home weather stations in Oxford. One measured 14.83 inches of rain and the other measured 13.5 inches, according to the National Weather Service.

The existing record is 12.77 inches of rainfall from Hurricane Diane, set on Aug. 19, 1955, almost 69 years ago to the day of Sunday's storm.

Following is the full message from Superintendent Miller:

“I want to express my deep empathy for what our community has experienced over the past four days. I know how difficult this time has been, and I am aware that the weeks ahead may be very challenging for many of us. Please know that you are in my thoughts about your strength and resilience during this time. As we navigate these challenging moments together, I want to assure you that we are doing everything we can to support one another as a community.

“As both your Superintendent and a resident of Oxford, I care deeply about this community and every one of you. Thank you for the support you’ve shown each other and our staff as we prepare for the upcoming school year. I also want to thank our teachers for their dedication in preparing their classrooms. I recognize that many of our teachers would have been setting up their rooms over the past few days, but this has not been possible due to school closures and road conditions. I am confident, however, that their hard work will lead to a successful school opening when the time comes.

“Our top priority is safety. I just left a town emergency management meeting where we discussed the current conditions of our roads and the safety and accessibility concerns that must be addressed before we can safely open our schools. Unfortunately, as of today, the streets in our town are not safe for buses. Roads are shut down, others have visual damage on the sides of the road, and others are compromised without any visual cues. The bus company does not have clearance to drive on the streets, and the town still needs to complete a safety evaluation to determine which roads are drivable. This assessment is underway, and we will meet with town officials on Wednesday, August 28, to identify which roads are safe to use.

“Following this assessment, the bus company will need time to develop new routes. To prioritize the safety of our students, we have made the difficult decision to delay the start of school from August 28. I understand that this is an inconvenience for many families, but the safety of our students must come first. The decision to push back the start of school was made in collaboration with the First Selectman and our Police Department. Our best-case scenario is that school will start sometime during the week of September 3, but we will need to reassess next week to determine the exact date. For those of you asking if we can start school virtually or hybrid, doing so presents logistic, legal, and contractual challenges, not to mention what is best for our students. We want our students in school but must do so safely.

“Please note that any days missed at the start of the school year must be added to our June calendar, as we handle snow days. We appreciate your understanding as we make these necessary adjustments.

“Thank you again for your understanding and patience during this time. I will follow up with a second message to our staff regarding the implications for their schedules for next week.

Sincerely,

Dr. Robert Miller

Superintendent of Schools

Southbury & Middlebury

“Just because there’s a gully on the side of the road and the road looks intact, it could very well be undermined so starting Friday I’ll have a team of engineers going throughout the town to survey those areas,” Oxford First Selectman George Temple said.

Region 15 schools, which serve Middlebury and Southbury, plan to open as scheduled on Aug. 27.

“A lot of families that need us to open and we’re committed to doing that. It’s an evolving discussion as to what it’s going to take to make that happen,” Region 15 Superintendent of Schools Joshua Smith said.

The school district is making temporary changes to bus service. See the changes below:

• Morning and afternoon bus runs for high school, middle schools and elementary schools, will have designated and supervised community stops.
• Southbury students who attend Long Meadow Elementary School and Memorial Middle School will be impacted.
• All students residing in Middlebury will not be impacted.
• PreK students and students who ride specialized vans or are in wheelchairs will remain on their designated bus runs if possible.
• Drop-off and pick up times at the schools may be extended and parent drop-off / pick-up procedures will be modified to accommodate more vehicles.
• The District is working with our BAS (Before and After School) in the elementary schools and after-school homework programs in our middle schools. Our plan is to extend the availability of those programs for anyone who needs these services at no cost. We recognize that for some families, it may be more accessible to transport their student(s) directly to their school than a community bus stop. Details on the BAS services will be provided soon.

"We are committed to keeping you updated on the progress of road repairs and any further changes to bus routes. Your safety and well-being are our utmost concern, and we are working diligently to resolve these issues as quickly as possible," the district's statement reads.