Hillendale ES closed Wednesday

Posted by ChaddsFordLive on September 5, 2023

UPDATE: Another announcement may come at 5 a.m. END UPDATE

Unionville-Chadds Ford School District Superintendent John Sanville has sent out another message, this one saying Hillendale Elementary School will be closed on Wednesday, Sept. 6. Other schools will open.

Dear UCFSD Families, Staff and Community

Throughout the day we have had discussions with law enforcement including Lt. Colonel George Bivens of Pennsylvania State Police and District Attorney Deb Ryan. We have taken into account all feedback we have received including input from parents and community members. We take the situation and its impact on all of you and your families very seriously.

What we know now - which is different from what we knew at 5 a.m. - is that the focus of the search area has changed, shifting south. Unfortunately, the new search perimeter includes the immediate area surrounding Hillendale Elementary School. There are multiple road closings around Hillendale ES making it nearly impossible for staff and parents to enter campus.

With that said, we have decided to close Hillendale only tomorrow and open all other UCF schools. Hillendale will operate on a FID schedule. All other schools will be open, and in an abundance of caution, will operate in Secure Status.

We know that kids do best when their regular schedules and routines continue. Fortunately, we can provide students at five of our schools with a safe and secure learning environment. In a plan that is similar to what we originally proposed yesterday - we will offer several options to our families for Wednesday, Sept. 6:

Excused absences for any students whose families are out of town and spending another night away;
Excused absences for any student whose families would prefer to keep them home tomorrow;
PSP will escort buses in neighborhoods impacted by the search;
PSP will allow UCFSD buses to use all roads that are currently closed to the public;
ALL UCFSD schools will operate in a Secure Status for that extra layer of safety.

Decisions on after school activities will be made tomorrow.

Your support and understanding as we navigate uncharted territory sustains us. We are hoping that the prisoner is captured soon and that life returns to normal. Until then we are UCFSD strong and will get through this together.