Martha's Vineyard schools announce early Friday dismissal

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In the face of an expected afternoon snowfall, Martha’s Vineyard schools announced an early dismissal Friday.

The Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School will be dismissed at 12:30 pm.

All Island elementary schools will be dismissed at noon. The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School will be dismissed at 11 am.

Assistant Superintendent of Schools, Richie Smith, told The Times in a Friday morning telephone call that the decision to dismiss school early was related to the possibility of hazardous road conditions. “It’s the timing of it,” Mr. Smith said. “It’s not a huge storm but the brunt of the snow is expected to fall between 11:30 am and 3 pm.”

Mr. Smith said there was concern for high school students who drive to school and students who take the bus. “We decided the best thing was to be cautious,” he said.

The National Weather Service office in Taunton provided the following forecast: Rain, snow, and sleet before 1 pm, then snow between 1pm and 4pm, then rain and snow after 4pm. High near 40. Breezy, with a north wind 21 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 43 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime snow and sleet accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.