On Friday, Feb. 8, numerous complaints traveled the halls of Staples as both students and teachers shared their growing concerns regarding the upcoming blizzard and Westport Superintendent Elliott Landon’s decision to not cancel school.
These concerns were validated after the early dismissal, as there were three reported bus accidents, according to Dattco, along with several car accidents due to the icy road conditions.
At 10:53 a.m., 12 minutes after Staples’ early dismissal, Governor Daniel Malloy tweeted “asking all residents to limit travel. Roads will be subject to closure beginning at noon. More info to follow.”
Around this time, teachers who live as far as Trumbull or Newtown still had up to a 20 mile (or about 45 minute) commute.
Some, such as a Westport substitute teacher who asked to remain anonymous to ensure the security of her job, happened to be working at Bedford Middle School that Friday. On the way home, the substitute teacher and her younger son encountered an accident on the side of the road. As she swerved to avoid it, she lost control of the car and skidded into a rock wall on Cross Highway.
The substitute teacher’s son, a student at Staples, expressed concern for her safety. “My mom originally texted me, while she was talking to the police, saying she had been in an accident. I was really scared for both of them, especially my brother who had never been in an accident before,” said the student. “I was worried that he wouldn’t handle the trauma well and wanted to make sure that he was okay emotionally afterwards.”
Almost 24 hours later and a travel ban was still in effect–it would not be lifted until 4 p.m. on Sat., Feb. 8. According to NBC Connecticut, even after lifting the ban Malloy urged “residents to stay off the roads if at all possible” due to “whiteout conditions, low visibility and large amounts of snow.”
