District Not Ready For Pupils A Week After Snow

WALL TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBS 2/WCBS 880) -- Would you believe a week after the blizzard hit one New Jersey school district had to cancel class on Monday?

CBS 2's Christine Sloan reports some parents were caught by surprise.

Yvonne Herrow and her two children were at the bus stop in Wall Township early Monday morning all ready for school.

"I got the email so late at night that I didn't check it so this morning I did my regular routine getting up, making breakfast, getting them out of bed," Herrow said.

However, Herrow soon found out the entire school district was closed, mainly because the high school's roof had caved in and some walkways and bus stops hadn't been cleared.

She had to call out from work at the last minute.

"I really think it's really inconvenient they had to close all of the schools," Herrow said.

WCBS 880's Kelly Waldron reports on the unexpected snow day declared in Wall Township

"The snow created 8-to-10-foot snow drifts on the roof, and it caved. The truss broke in the inside and caved the roof in three different areas," said Joe Graci of Insurance Restoration Specialists.

While parents of high school students said they understand why classes were cancelled here, Sloan couldn't get a clear answer from the district. Both the superintendent and board of education offices were closed. And a spokesperson did not returned her calls.

Even the kids said they were kind of looking forward to going back.

"It's a little bit boring," one student said.

"I was pretty excited to go back," Machaela Patterson added. 

The town administrator and district website said the district needed time clearing walkways at other schools like the intermediate, but by mid afternoon they seemed to be clear, leaving parents wondering why the whole district had to be shut down.

"It seems odd that more wasn't done about it. There seems like there has been plenty of time now," parent Stephanie Patterson said.

On its website the district said it is anticipating opening Tuesday. 

The Board of Education has its own crews, but on Monday the township was also helping them clean the snow that apparently compromised the use of school buses in the narrow streets.