Branford's Superintendent of Schools Hamlet Hernandez is keeping options open at this point, announcing that Branford Public Schools (BPS) will continue monitoring the restoration of power to all residences to aid in the decision of when exactly schools will officially open.

Back-to-school would have been Sept. 1, but schools stayed shuttered in the wake of tropical storm Irene. For parents, notification went out in the form of "Hurricane Update #1" from Hernandez, beginning Aug. 29 via BPS "Alert Now" messaging system, including emails and phone calls. The most informative of the updates to date arrived Aug. 30, stating:

"At this point, in the Town's recovery operation, Branford Public Schools has limited to power to school buildings, some roads remain impassable for school buses and our families are dealing with extended power outages. Given these difficult conditions the first day of school is postponed until after the Labor Day holiday. Providing an exact start date for students at this point is premature. The same is true for the teaching staff and 10 month employees; however when setting dates we shall consider and include preparation and professional development dates. As you can imagine, Irene's impact causes the District to modify the school calendar. Changes to the school district's calendar shall be determined and announced after the school year has begun."

As of Fri. Sept. 2, the latest update remains the one issued Thurs. Sept. 1 (update #6):

"Branford Public Schools are closed for Friday 9/2. Only administrators, facilities, technology, central office, nurses and clerical support staff should report to work as directed. Currently Branford High School, Central Office, and Murphy School has power. Once the district's remaining facilities have restored power, a start date will be announced for staff and students."

In an earlier update, Hernadez wrote,"I understand that communicating has been challenging due to power outages; however the District will continue to broadcast updates via all available means. I thank each of you for your patience, cooperation, teamwork and understanding."