Morningside Closed Friday for Flooding Cleanup

Staff Reports07:45PM / Thursday, May 07, 2026Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Morningside Community School will be closed Friday, May 8, because of flooding in the building.

According to a post on the Pittsfield Public Schools' Facebook page, a pipe that was damaged in a student bathroom caused a "large amount of water" to seep into carpets and other areas near the bathroom.

The post doesn't say how the pipe was damaged but that the flooding occurred shortly before dismissal on Thursday.

Because of the water damaged, the school will be closed Friday so the affected spaces can be properly cleaned and dried.

The post states the school's custodial team will be preparing the building so students and staff can safely return on Monday, May 11, and that additional information will be posted as needed.

All other schools will be open for regularly scheduled classes.

Tags: Morningside, school closures,

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Pittsfield Schools Consider Enhanced Bus Surveillance

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:58PM / Tuesday, October 20, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— The Pittsfield Public Schools are considering a couple of companies for enhanced bus safety surveillance after a spring pilot.

Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Bonnie Howland reported that they have met with BusPatrol and Gatekeeper Systems, which offer automated stop-arm enforcement and video surveillance.

It is illegal for drivers to pass a school bus when the red warning lights are flashing, and the stop-sign arm is extended. This protects children exiting and entering the school bus.

A stop-arm camera pilot program was conducted in May.

"We currently have a four-camera system on the interior of the bus, so Gatekeeper is sort of better as far as functionality. It's a little more of an upfront investment," Howland told the School Committee last week.

"BusPatrol works where you basically have an installation of the cameras, and then as tickets are issued to people, you sort of regain your investment, so it's two different sort of cost profiles."

Gatekeeper would cost about $100,000 to purchase, while BusPatrol has no upfront cost and a monthly charge.

PPS is interested in putting cameras in all of its buses, about 30. Howland said that Gatekeeper has a little more robust system that fits into our current system, and Mayor Peter Marchetti reported that the company with no upfront cost helps secure a grant for implementation: $1,200 per camera and $250 a month per bus.

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