Valley Stream schools closed Friday

All four Valley Stream school districts are closed on Friday due to winter weather.

District 24 Superintendent Dr. Ed Fale said the four school chiefs made the decision to close at about 5 a.m. He said maintenance workers from each district reported that sidewalk and side streets in the area were unsafe.

This is the third snow day for Valley Stream schools. Students and teachers stayed home on Feb. 10 and 11 after a near-blizzard dumped more than a foot of snow on Long Island. The districts can close for up to four days without having to make up time. "Hopefully this will be the last snow day we have to use," Fale said.

Snow began falling on Thursday afternoon and continuing through the night, with several inches accumulating by morning.

Despite predicted heavy winds, there were no power outages reported in the area as of Tuesday morning.

The Town of Hempstead has declared a snow emergency. Residents are asked to move their cars off the street to allow plows to properly clear the streets.