Methuen Schools Closed Until Wednesday For Snow Removal
METHUEN (CBS) – School has been canceled in Methuen for Monday and Tuesday due to the amount of snow that has piled up over the last few weeks.
In order to get everything cleared safely, officials decided it was best if students and teachers were in not in class.
Front loaders and dump trucks were busy at all five Methuen schools on Sunday.
WBZ-TV's Paul Burton reports.
"The schools is the big thing. They've got big companies with cranes and lots of workers clearing off the roofs. So far, it's been without incident. They're doing it as a precaution," said Deputy Chief Charles Ripley of the Methuen Fire Department.
"What were are dealing with now is the removal of the snow that was taken off the roofs," said Judy Scannell, the superintendent of schools.
Scannell said she canceled school for both days so work crews can get everything cleared. She added that all five schools are structurally sound and show no sign of collapsing.
"I met with my building facilitator. We were up with the senior custodians checking the roofs. There was a huge amount of snow up there. The drifts were 10 feet on many of the roofs of the building, so we met with the mayor and made the decision. We had to be proactive and remove the snow," said Scannell.
A structural engineer and gave the superintendent a green light for kids to go to school, but in light of all the cleanup, classes will resume again on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Hingham Middle School will reopen on Monday after being closed for two days.
