EAST PALESTINE — There will be no school again today for students in the East Palestine City School District because of the ongoing state of emergency in the city caused by the derailment Friday night of about 50 cars of Norfolk Southern train east of East Palestine near the Pennsylvania border.

District schools are closed for the remainder of the week and a shelter at East Palestine Middle School / High School gym for those displaced will be open as long as a mandatory evacuation remains in the place, the school district announced Monday.

All extracurricular activities and a regular school board meeting scheduled also have been canceled.

The district will use its “blizzard bags” starting Wednesday “in an attempt to provide some continued educational structure,” states a message posted to social media. The program can be used for up to three days and allows the district to count time out of the classroom due to weather or emergencies as traditional class days.

The program, according to the district’s website, typically requires that all work is due two weeks from the date assigned.

The district noted that the use of Blizzard Bags this week is not intended to cause families additional stress, but “are for those that are able to access them and they are looking for something else for students to focus on.”

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