PORTSMOUTH — Backlash erupted Tuesday afternoon after the Portsmouth School Department announced it would cancel school Friday due to logistical challenges tied to President Barack Obama's campaign visit.
The Herald received multiple calls from angry parents after Superintendent Ed McDonough sent an e-mail to families announcing the closure.
"I just think it's unbelievable," said parent Kathy Logan. "All of a sudden, the president is coming to Portsmouth and everything has to shut down. I don't think it's right."
Logan said she was at Little Harbour School on Tuesday morning for a "teddy bear picnic" welcoming kindergarten students to the school. The first day for kindergarten is today, and Logan said it was unfair for her son's education to be disrupted so soon.
She said school officials at Little Harbour did not mention the closure and she did not find out until she checked her e-mail when she got home.
She also had made doctor appointments and other plans for Friday, which had to be rescheduled due to the sudden school closure. Logan is a stay-at-home mother, but parents with jobs outside the home are suddenly having to make arrangements for child care Friday.
One commentator on www.seacoastonline.com suggested the president "pay for the sitter" for those inconvenienced by the closure.
Logan said she is an independent voter and her complaints were not driven by politics. She simply thinks her son should be in school, she said.
"I actually blame the campaign. I don't think the School Department had much of a choice," she said. "I love being in New Hampshire. I love the fact that the politicians come through the state. I think we're so lucky, but I just don't think you shut down your whole school system."
McDonough said he had received calls and e-mails from residents complaining about the decision and asking him to reconsider, and that he was acutely aware of the inconvenience the closure caused.
"It's clearly short notice, and folks are terribly inconvenienced," he said. "I certainly am aware of the impact it presents to families. At the end of the day, we tried to use a measured approach, but for logistical reasons with our bus company, (keeping schools open) wouldn't work."
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