NEWS INFORMATION FROM

THE OFFICE OF MAYOR STEPHEN R. REED
City of Harrisburg
King City Government Center
Harrisburg, PA 17101-1678
Telephone: 717.255.3040

FOR IMMEDIATE USE
19 September 2003

HARRISBURG CITY SCHOOLS CLOSED TODAY

Harrisburg, PA—Mayor Stephen R. Reed this morning announced that all Harrisburg City Schools will be closed today, Friday, Sept. 19, as a result of Tropical Storm Isabel’s effects.

School will resume on its normal schedule Monday. The high school football game will be played, as scheduled, on Saturday.

City and school officials waited to see if it would be possible to hold school sessions but, as a result of significant electrical power outages, trees blocking streets, debris covering sidewalks and school areas brought on by wind and rain.

“The prudent thing to do is forego making thousands of children trek to school when there are some real safety concerns and when some of the schools may not even have full electrical power to operate,” Reed said. Rerouting school buses to avoid blocked areas would also have real disruption for the orderly and timely pick-up and return of students.

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