Hopkinton schools will switch to an early dismissal schedule Thursday due to the Mikayla Miller rally planned for the Town Common.

Superintendent Carol Cavanaugh emailed schools families Wednesday afternoon with the details and an explanation.

“The schools have been in touch with the Hopkinton Police Department to help us understand the projected magnitude of the event,” Cavanaugh wrote. “At this time, we have concerns about volume: there will be great numbers of attendees and exceedingly heavy traffic in the downtown area, perhaps making the area significantly restricted to the flow of traffic, including our buses. In an effort to ensure everyone’s safety, including the safe transport of students home, we will be using the early dismissal schedule for tomorrow.”

Added Cavanaugh: “There will be an increased police presence in our schools tomorrow during the day.”

The early dismissal schedule (different from early release) is what the the schools use the day before Thanksgiving. Hopkinton High School and Hopkinton Middle School will be released at 10:45 a.m. Hopkins School will end at 11:25 a.m. Elmwood and Marathon will get out at 12:10 p.m.

There will be no lunch, no athletic practices/games and no afternoon preschool or Kidsborough after-care programming.