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Obama Visit Forces Portsmouth To Close Schools Friday

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (CBS) – Schools in Portsmouth, New Hampshire will be closed Friday because President Barack Obama will be in town.

But the cancellation isn't in honor of the president.

It's because his visit would create a nightmare for school buses.

Roads in and around the Strawbery Banke Museum will be shut down for security purposes, so the police and the Secret Service recommended that three schools be dismissed early.

But superintendent Ed McDonough said that would involve separate bus runs.

"Given the high volume of traffic expected on Friday, we are better served to close all schools and reschedule a full day of school later in the year," McDonough said in a letter to parents.

The make up day will be May 24, 2013, a day originally scheduled for teacher workshops.

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