Sachem Central School District closed Wednesday due to electrical outage
The problems began on Tuesday night, a district spokesman said. Credit: James Carbone
Crews are working to resolve an electrical issue that forced the Sachem Central School District, the second-largest on Long Island and one of the largest suburban districts in the state, to close all of its schools on Wednesday.
The problem began with the main circuit at Sachem East, directly impacting the electrical system, phones and internet service, according to Sachem district spokesman Chris R. Vaccaro. Additional buildings that had their utilities connected through East also were affected, he said.
Vaccaro, in an emailed statement, said problems with the system began Tuesday evening. While the system was initially restored at about 11 p.m., it failed again at 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
"Sachem's facilities and technology teams worked through the night and into the morning to restore operations; however, the system did not fully regain functionality," Vaccaro said.
It was not immediately clear if the system failure was related to the recent snowstorm, Vaccaro said.
A spokesman for PSEG Long Island said the issue was not related to its equipment, but said the utility has been in contact with the district.
The Lake Ronkonkoma-based district has more than a dozen schools from elementary to high school.
While it was not immediately clear how long it would take to fix the problem, Vaccaro said: "The district is hopeful that school will resume on Thursday."
Check back for updates on this developing story.
John Valenti, a Newsday reporter since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press, Society of the Silurians and National Headliner Awards for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing. He is the author of “Swee'pea,” about New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. His debut crime novel, “For Nothing Is Hidden,” rooted in 1950s Long Island, was released in October 2025.
