Rolling blackout will close Brickett school Wednesday

LYNN-Superintendent Nicholas Kostan announced Thursday that the Brickett Elementary School will close for the full day on Wednesday, May 14 due to a scheduled blackout in the Diamond District.National Grid announced this week that scheduled maintenance in that neighborhood would require a 12-hour blackout, scheduled from 11 p.m. Tuesday until 11 a.m. Wednesday. During the maintenance, all residents and businesses in that area will be forced to turn off and unplug anything that requires the use of electricity.Brickett is the only school that will be affected by the blackout.Kostan said he saw no solution other than to close the school for the day to ensure the students’ safety.”I don’t want to take a chance with the electricity staying out longer than it is supposed to,” said Kostan. “The safety of our students is our number one priority.”Brickett staff will report to the school administration building located in the Lynn Vocational and Technical Institute Annex Building on Wednesday for professional development.Barring any unforeseen problems in the construction, the school will reopen Thursday morning.