February 14, 2007

Dear Shaker Students, Parents, and Staff Members:

I owe all of you an apology for my handling of the school closing this morning. I am profoundly sorry for the anxiety and inconvenience caused to students, parents, and staff members. My philosophy is to keep schools open whenever possible to maintain continuity of instruction. When I drove around Shaker late last night, the major streets were clear and the snow was letting up. The maintenance and grounds staff reported at 4 a.m. that they had been able to clear parking lots at the schools. Conditions worsened in the early morning hours, and I realized too late that it would be a mistake to open. At that point, I determined that it was in the best interest of student and staff safety to close. If I had it to do over again, I would have made the decision much earlier.

I wish to thank our maintenance crews, who worked through the night to clear our parking lots. I also wish to thank the staff members and students who, because of the late notification, did not know we were closing and made the effort to come to school.

The senior staff and I have already begun to review our process for making closing decisions. In the future we will do our best to make more timely decisions and notify you earlier when weather conditions warrant closing. Once again, I hope you will accept my sincere apology.

Sincerely,

Mark Freeman

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