Decision About New Canaan School Opening to Be Made Tuesday by 2 p.m.

A decision about whether to to open New Canaan Public Schools on Wednesday will be made no later than 2 p.m. Tuesday, according to Board of Education chair Nick Williams.

The 2011-2012 school year was scheduled to begin Tuesday, Aug. 30. On Friday, Williams and Superintendent of Schools David Abbey made a for at least one day.

Williams said officials at the Emergency Operations Center, CL&P and DPW have been “working around the clock to avoid having to delay opening school further.”

According to Williams, 150 of the town’s 265 roads have downed power lines and about 75 percent of residents are without power. Getting the word to parents and students is a challenge, he said.

“We are aware we have severely compromised communications, internet access, e-mails, land line phones,” Williams said. “We will avail ourselves of every form of communications possible to let parents know by 2 p.m. Tuesday.”

 In addition to the school district website, Williams said they will use the EOC’s new Facebook page, which provides updates in real time, as well as the town’s outcall system. Williams said he and Selectman Rob Mallozzi are looking into the possibility of posting electronic message boards in town.

Williams added a word of caution to parents and students, who are taking advantage of the extra days of summer. Though the town lifted its curfew Sunday evening, traveling in town is still hazardous. Children should be made aware of the dangers downed power lines.

“Today is a beautiful day the week is supposed to be beautiful,” Williams said. “We urge kids and other residents to exercise extreme caution going about town in an automobile or on foot. We had an incident yesterday, somebody was out in violation. They were taking a stroll and almost stepped on a live power line.”

Police Commission member Stuart Sawabini reinforced the message as he recalled the 1991 death of Police Officer James A. Martin.

“The only time we’ve every lost an officer in the call of duty was when he drove up to a power line and was unaware of the fact that it was touching a guardrail and he touched the guardrail,” Sawabini said.