Editor, Gazette-Journal:

The Gloucester County Public Schools Educational Foundation organizes an annual race to raise funds for two projects: the Teacher of the Year dinner held each May to honor teachers selected by their peers to represent each school, and mini-grants, up to $500 for which teachers may apply to support innovative instruction. Last year, the foundation funded over $16,000 in mini-grants.

The year’s event was scheduled for March 23 at Gloucester High School. Unfortunately, the National Weather Service predicted a coastal storm with heavy rain, wind gusts of more than 30 knots, and possible thunderstorms during the scheduled race hours. We made the difficult decision to cancel the race based on these predictions.

While it is a rain-or-shine event, safety of all involved is our first consideration. This year, 488 people registered for the 3K, 8K and Virtual 5K run/walk; an additional 40 volunteers would have been on the course to ensure participant safety. We ...