February 26, 2026 By Carol Britton Meyer
Due to the large amount of snow on the Plymouth River School roof – which was showing signs of structural stress – students and staff were evacuated to the high school this morning – February 26.
“No students or staff have been affected by this; it is just for precaution,” Principal Gregory Lamothe told PRS families in an email.
Due to the safety concerns surrounding this event, all students were transported to the high school on Hingham Public Schools buses.
Both PRS and HHS administrators were at the high school “to accompany the students until the normal dismissal time of 2:30 pm.,” Lamothe said in the message.
In a follow-up email to PRS families from Hingham Public Schools administration, school staff were thanked for going “above and beyond” in moving PRS students to the high school. “The HHS community warmly welcomed our elementary students, and PRS staff did their very best to maintain familiar routines in the high school space.”
The HPS facilities team and its roofing specialists are on site at PRS, working to clear the snow from the school’s roof as quickly as possible. Some additional heavy machinery (including a large crane) has been contracted to support snow removal.
“Despite the best efforts of our crews, we will need to continue snow removal work on the PRS roof throughout the day tomorrow,” according to the follow-up email. “Therefore, tomorrow we will once again get creative to ensure a full day of learning for PRS students.”
In order to best support an elementary learning environment, PRS students will be located at Foster School tomorrow.
Because Foster was not designed to accommodate two full elementary schools at the same time, the following plan is in place —
- Some classrooms will be split and paired with other classrooms so teachers can continue instruction in shared spaces.
- Other classrooms may be combined in larger areas such as the multi-purpose room or cafeteria.
- Specialists and support staff will adjust schedules to provide supervision and meaningful learning experiences within the space constraints.
“Our staff has been incredibly flexible and solutions-oriented as we work through this together, and our focus will remain on keeping students safe, supported, and engaged in learning throughout the day,” the message said. “We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding as we navigate an unusual set of circumstances.”
Supt. of Schools Katie Roberts told the Hingham Anchor that she’s “grateful to our staff today for their ability to pivot on a dime. They showed incredible leadership and flexibility.”
Additional updates to PRS families will be provided as new information becomes available. “We greatly appreciate the community’s support,” she said.