New Rochelle Superintendent Apologizes For Last-Minute Snow Day

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — New Rochelle City School District Superintendent Corey Reynolds wrote families to "sincerely apologize" for the delay in letting students and parents know that this morning's snow closed schools.

"This morning's decision to close our school district was not finalized until 6 a.m.," the school chief said. "Unfortunately for us, there was a problem in accessing our district-wide messaging system, resulting in a delay in promptly reaching out to you via robocall or text message."

While many parents and guardians took to social media to express frustration that they weren't informed that classes were canceled until after it was time to head out of the house, others questioned why the relatively mild snowfall required canceling classes rather than simply delaying the start of the school day until the roads were cleared.

Superintendent Reynolds said there are other considerations to keep in mind when making those types of decisions.

"The reason behind this decision is that our transportation services are outsourced to external contractors, including Westchester County's Bee-Line," Reynolds said. "Unfortunately, delaying the start of school is not feasible, as there are no available vehicles later in the day to transport our students."

The superintendent said that while safety of student and staff is the top priority, he understands that arranging child care and adjusting work schedules can be a challenge when communication about school closures breaks down.

"I want to assure you that we are taking this incident seriously and we are committed to addressing the systems issues we encountered this morning," Reynolds wrote. "Our aim is to prevent a similar situation from occurring in the future. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. We value your feedback and will use it to improve our processes moving forward."

Superintendent Reynolds' full letter to the school community can be read in its entirety below.

Dear New Rochelle School Community:

I hope this message finds you safe and warm. I am writing to sincerely apologize for the delay in sharing information about the school closing this morning.

I understand that school closings can be disruptive, especially when it comes to arranging child care and adjusting work schedules. Our goal is to make these decisions as early as possible to minimize the impact. Our process involves close cooperation with other school districts in our area, and we rely on the most up-to-date weather information to make informed decisions in the interest of student and staff safety.

This morning's decision to close our school district was not finalized until 6:00 a.m. Unfortunately for us, there was a problem in accessing our district-wide messaging system, resulting in a delay in promptly reaching out to you via robocall or text message. I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

To address the delay in notification, we used alternative communication channels, including direct contact with school administrators and updates on our web pages and social media. While these methods are not our preferred means of notifying you, they were the most immediate ways to share the information in real time.

I am aware that some families questioned why we did not opt for a two-hour delay instead of a full closure. The reason behind this decision is that our transportation services are outsourced to external contractors, including Westchester County's Bee-Line. Unfortunately, delaying the start of school is not feasible, as there are no available vehicles later in the day to transport our students.

Please accept my sincere apologies for any confusion or inconvenience caused by the delay and the subsequent communication methods I directed to be employed. I want to assure you that we are taking this incident seriously and we are committed to addressing the systems issues we encountered this morning. Our aim is to prevent a similar situation from occurring in the future.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. We value your feedback and will use it to improve our processes moving forward.

Sincerely,

Dr. Corey W. Reynolds