The following letter from Head of School Dr. Robert E. Veto was distributed the Stratford community on May 8, 2014:

Dear students, faculty, and parents,

In view of upcoming hazardous weather conditions, it is with great regret that I have ordered all classes cancelled for the remainder of the school year.

The National Weather Service is predicting a 30 percent chance of temperatures falling below 72 degrees at some point in the next two weeks; a 15 percent chance of rain sometime between the hours of 5 a.m. and 7 p.m.; and a slight chance of moderate gusts of wind — well, really more of a strong breeze.

Our uniforms are simply not appropriate for these extreme weather conditions. Without proper thermal protection, students may be vulnerable to hypothermia, frostbite, and a really solid tan. I have consulted with the heads of all four divisions, and we are simply unwilling to expose students to these dire risks.

In arriving at this difficult decision, we also took into consideration student drivers traveling to school early in the morning, when road conditions are at their most dangerous. Morning dew and small puddles have been spotted on Peake Road, and several students reported being mildly annoyed at having to order hot rather than iced lattes from Starbucks before driving to school. We are taking preemptive action now in order to avoid a potentially tragic accident.

Students shall not treat their time away from campus as vacation days. Faculty and staff have been directed to keep the portal up to date hourly, and will continue to post lectures, slide shows, homework, tests, and quizzes.

Parents, please see to it that your child keeps up on their schoolwork in between trips to the Idle Hour pool, just as if they were at school. We ask that students begin their work at 8:45 a.m. and end at 3:15 p.m.

This includes all classes except for students enrolled in Dr. Frank Katz’s English courses. Because of extraordinarily harsh weather conditions in Dr. Katz’s room, his classes have been cancelled. Forever.

All students will also be expected to attend a six week summer session in July, assuming the temperature does not rise above 82 degrees and the skies remain clear.

Of course, all athletic practices and games will continue as scheduled. Winter wear has been ordered to equip all teams.

We apologize for any inconveniences, and we look forward to seeing all students return in July.

Sincerely,

Dr. Robert E. Veto

Head of School

Stratford Academy