Massachusetts schools cancel classes or delay openings Friday as wintry mix creates hazardous morning travel

Closings and delays spread statewide as precipitation shifts from rain to sleet and freezing rain

Dozens of Massachusetts school systems altered schedules for Friday, March 6, as a late-week storm brought a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain into the region overnight and into the morning commute. District decisions ranged from full-day cancellations to delayed openings, reflecting the uneven geography of icing risk and the challenges of transporting students safely on untreated roads.

Forecasts indicated precipitation would arrive as rain in some areas before transitioning to sleet and freezing rain as colder air settled near the surface, a setup that can create a thin glaze of ice even where snow totals remain modest. The timing placed the most hazardous conditions near the overnight period and early-morning travel window, when temperatures hovered close to freezing in many inland communities.

What districts announced for Friday

By early Friday, many communities had posted two-hour delays, while others opted to cancel in-person classes for the day. Delay announcements were especially common in the Greater Boston area and nearby suburbs, while cancellations appeared more frequently in parts of central and northern Massachusetts where mixed precipitation and elevated terrain increased the likelihood of ice.

• Two-hour delays were posted by multiple districts and schools across the state, including communities in the Merrimack Valley and MetroWest.
• Some districts canceled school entirely, including Worcester Public Schools.
• Individual districts specified program-level changes alongside delayed starts; for example, Randolph Public Schools announced a two-hour delayed start and said there would be no Pre-K.

“Due to the inclement weather tomorrow (Friday, March 6), all schools will have a two-hour delayed start. There will be no Pre-K tomorrow.”

Why districts choose delays versus closures

District leaders typically weigh several operational constraints at once: road treatment progress, visibility, bus-route safety (including steep grades and untreated side streets), and staffing. A delayed opening can provide time for municipal crews to treat roadways and for daylight to improve visibility, while a full closure may be favored when icing is expected to persist through the morning or when conditions vary widely across a district’s footprint.

Friday’s decisions were also shaped by the storm’s mixed precipitation profile. Unlike all-snow events, freezing rain and sleet can produce rapid changes in traction that are difficult to predict at a neighborhood scale, creating heightened risk for school buses, teen drivers, and pedestrians.

What families should watch for next

Because many closing lists are updated throughout the morning, families were advised to continue checking district communications for changes, including potential early dismissals if conditions deteriorated or if untreated refreezing became a concern later in the day. With temperatures expected to fluctuate, even minor shifts could affect whether wet pavement refreezes on bridges, overpasses, and shaded roadways.

For Friday, the central issue remained morning travel safety: the combination of mixed precipitation, near-freezing surface temperatures, and peak commuting hours prompted widespread schedule changes across Massachusetts.