Schools Closed Again Tuesday; 43 Baltimore County Schools Still Without Power

Schools Superintendent Joe A. Hairston announced that schools will continue to be closed on Tuesday, giving students yet another day of summer vacation.

After Hurricane Irene hit Maryland Saturday and Sunday, 65 Baltimore County Public Schools were without power on Sunday. As of Monday afternoon, 43 schools still did not have power.

Hairston also cited other factors to consider when opening schools, such as bus routes, traffic signals and the state of the communities around the schools.

According to the school system, 79 schools still had limited telephone or Internet access, 25 roads in the county are still blocked, 12 major intersections still do not have power, 100 school buses are trapped by debris at the Hopkins Creek lot and 40,000 homes in the county still do not have power.

Hairston said the system and the county made progress toward opening schools, but it was not enough.

“But with so many of our schools unable to open, our entire system is impacted, from bus routes and operations to our ability to enroll new students. We are not at the point where we can safely open our doors," he said.