Table of Contents
Winchester Public Schools will be closed Oct. 10 following a chemical spill at Winchester High School.
In a note to parents, Superintendent Dr. Frank Hackett said school officials “discovered a chemical spill in a storage cabinet in one of the chemistry prep rooms at Winchester High School. We immediately contacted the Winchester Fire Department.”
Hackett went on to way that after “assessing the situation, the Fire Department closed the building and called in the Massachusetts Hazmat Team. They are currently on site with the Department of Environmental Protection and the Winchester Health Department, coordinating containment and decontamination of the affected area.”
Hackett added given the “uncertainty” around when the cleanup will be completed so everyone can return to the building, a decision was made to cancel school on Friday.
“Because all school meals are prepared at WHS and transported to our other buildings, our food service program will be unable to operate tomorrow,” Hackett added in his letter. “Therefore, all PreK-12 Winchester public schools will be closed on Oct. 10, 2025.”
Hackett went on to say “the health and safety of our students and staff are our top priority. We will provide updates as soon as the building is cleared and we can resume normal operations. We appreciate your understanding and flexibility during this situation.”
Students will be out of school on Monday as well, given the Oct. 13 Columbus/Indigenous Peoples Day holiday.
Check back on this developing story.
Nell Escobar Coakley has been a journalist for more than 30 years. She is co-founder and editor-in-chief of Gotta Know Medford and editor of Winchester News. She can be reached at editor@winchesternews.org.
