Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Make a sustaining gift and pay it forward with a gift of meals to the NH Food Bank.

Snow day in western Massachusetts welcome news for some

Chester Pasek, a school bus driver, outside the Big E's supermarket in Easthampton, Massachusetts.
Alden Bourne
/
NEPM
Chester Pasek, a school bus driver, outside the Big E's supermarket in Easthampton, Massachusetts.

Some schools and businesses in western Massachusetts declared a snow day Monday.

Jenny Claps was at a sledding hill in Northampton. She brought her two daughters and six other girls from her neighborhood and says the snow day was welcome news.

"They loved it. Slept late. Had hot chocolate. All the good things. It was well-needed rest," she said.

Claps teaches pre-school in Amherst and got the day off.

Chester Pasek got the day off too. He's been driving a school bus in Northampton for 22 years.

He was headed into the Big E's supermarket in Easthampton and said he will not get paid for the day unless he takes a sick or a personal day.

"It kinda sucks. [I've] gotta, you know, watch out what I buy and just be careful," he said.

Pubic school teachers may have to work later in the spring, without additional pay, depending on how many snow days there end up being.

More snow is expected in the region on Wednesday.

Before joining New England Public Media, Alden was a producer for the CBS NEWS program 60 Minutes. In that role, he covered topics ranging from art, music and medicine to business, education and politics.

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.