Boston Public Schools ends school year early due to Celtics parade

Students attending Boston Public Schools are getting an extra half-day for summer break.

On Thursday afternoon, school district leaders announced that they were cancelling the last day of school Friday because multiple schools would be impacted by the traffic and crowds caused by Friday's championship parade for the Boston Celtics.

The surprise announcement comes just a day after BPS said it would initially cancel school Friday for four schools due to parade traffic and affected bus routes. Now, all schools' last day is Thursday.

"The increased traffic could mean students waiting for their bus hours after dismissal, being delayed on hot buses for hours without access to food and water or trying to commute home on the MBTA at the same time as the large anticipated crowds," BPS superintendent Mary Skipper said in a written statement.

Skipper added that the decision to cancel classes Friday, which was scheduled to be a half-day, was made in consultation with the state department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Boston's transportation department, and the Boston Police Department.

"Given the expected crowds, road closures and detours for the parade route, and our scheduled half day coinciding with the parade times, there is no safe and reliable way to transport our students, especially our youngest learners and special education students, from their schools to their drop off sites," Skipper said.

School district leaders say they understand that the last minute change may impact family plans for child care. They're recommending that people who need additional support reach out to the Boston Centers for Youth and Families for information about available community center programming that's open to all Boston residents.

BPS employees who work at school sites will not be required to report to work tomorrow, the statement said, though they will be able to access their school buildings if they need to. Central office staff, however, are required to report for duty Friday.