Seven of West Hartford’s nine polling places are schools, and will be in session during the presidential primary on April 26, 2016.

By Ronni Newton

West Hartford Public Schools will be in session on April 26, 2016, as voters who are affiliated with the Republican or Democratic party head to the polls for the presidential primary, but additional security and other accommodations will be in place, Superintendent of Schools Tom Moore told the Board of Education Tuesday night.

“We have always had school on Connecticut primary day because turnout has always been lackluster,” Moore said. As it began to appear that this year’s Connecticut primary would be likely to attract a more significant turnout, officials assessed the situation to determine what measures would be necessary.

Moore said that a handful of districts in the state have decided to close on primary day, but West Hartford has decided that’s not the best option for a variety of reasons. He said that all of the districts in this area have also decided to remain open.

“May 2 is the beginning of AP exams. To take a day of instruction away three days before that is a very difficult thing,” said Moore. Although graduation for the high schools is set and would not be impacted by another day off at this time of year, the additional day would be tacked on to the end of the school year for all other students, pushing the last day of school from Friday, June 10 to Monday, June 13 and impacting plans already put into place by many families.

While the Board of Education could vote to not have school on June 13 without impacting the required number of days schools must be in session (the town schedules 182 and the state requires 180), Moore said there are still negatives associated with that decision. “The negative with that is that’s about $400,000 we’d be paying people that day to not work. That’s not a great option to me either.”

With the decision made to keep schools in session, Moore said he has met with Police Chief Tracey Gove and additional patrols and security will be in place during the time that the school day and voting coincide. Assistant Superintendent Andy Morrow and Director of Plant Services Bob Palmer are also working to ensure the safety of voters as well as the school communities.

Drop-off time will be the most challenging, Moore said, because it’s the time that many people will also be heading to the polls. The end of the school day is not a prime time for voting. Separate entrances will be designated for after school athletic events, Moore said.

Satellite parking lots with shuttle service will likely be arranged for teachers at schools where there is limited parking, such as Braeburn and Bristow. Specific information will be relayed by the principals at each school, Moore said.

“We will have open parking spaces and dedicated pathways [for voters],” Moore said. “We want our people voting, want our people to be engaged. We think with all the planning it will be a safe day for all the people in our schools.”

There are also plans in place to accommodate elderly and handicapped voters who aren’t able to walk a long distance to the voting areas. Moore said that when schools are not in session, the registrars of voters decide where in the school the polls will be set up, but because school is in session the administration can decide. At Conard High School, for example, the polling place will return to the back gym where it is closer to the parking area, rather than requiring a long walk to the front of the school as was the case in November 2015.

Moore is hopeful that the weather will nice to minimize potential traffic issues at drop off. “It will be a good day to walk to school,” he said.

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. on April 26, 2016. West Hartford’s polling places are listed below, and additional information can be found on the Town of West Hartford’s website by clicking here.

• District #1 – King Philip Middle School, 100 King Philip Drive
• District #2 – Bristow Middle School, 34 Highland Street
• District #3 – West Hartford Town Hall, 50 South Main Street
• District #4 – Elmwood Community Center, 1106 New Britain Avenue
• District #5 – Wolcott School, 71 Wolcott Road
• District #6 – Conard High School, 110 Beechwood Road
• District #7 – Sedgwick Middle School, 128 Sedgwick Road
• District #8 – Braeburn School, 45 Braeburn Road
• District #9 – Hall High School, 975 North Main Street

Like what you see here? Click here to subscribe to We-Ha’s newsletter so you’ll always be in the know about what’s happening in West Hartford!