Snow Days
Making the decision to call a delay and/or cancellation of school has many steps, levels of communication, and timing factors that must be considered. As everyone knows, storms are very difficult to predict in our area, and one location in the school district may have 12 inches of snow while another area only has a skiff so communication across the school district is important, along with working closely with the County Road & Bridge Department. Predictions of snowfall and timing of snow storms are far from accurate for most storms, so calling delays or canceling school for the day only going off of the forecast or predictions is not a responsible way to make such an important decision.
Our schools need to be in session for a specific number of hours per year as required by state statute, so every snow day, delay, or cancellation reduces the hours of attendance. The district calendar takes into consideration the number of hours needed for both buildings and builds in some additional time for emergency closures. If we drop below the required number of hours for attendance, then we must make up the hours on Friday or before students are dismissed for the summer.
As morning snow storms create slick roads, additional work for snow removal crews, and students hopeful for a snow day a lot of communication and coordination must take place before a responsible emergency closure can be enacted. Below is the process from the start to the final decision to enact an emergency closure for weather. In the end, the safety of students and staff needs to be our top priority getting to school and home in the evening.
