12-03-2024

Good afternoon, 

With the winter switch turned on, I wanted to reach out and share some thoughts about how snow days are called. I certainly don’t always get it right, but absent a crystal ball, I do try to be methodical. 

I want us to stay open. I start with that goal in mind, and the safety of our kids and staff frame every consideration. Many of our students rely on our school for basic needs, and closing school creates stress for them. I get weather updates from the National Weather Service several times a day, and I monitor the forecast very closely. 

Given that, my first consideration is always how the commute to school will be for a first time, 16-year-old driving a front or two-wheel vehicle. While many adults have learned to navigate winter driving, our students are not as experienced or capable yet. Very early in the morning, our county superintendents and facilities/transportation staff drive the roads with that consideration in mind. 

The second consideration is the bus routes. Are they safe for buses to navigate? Are temps dangerous? How will visibility and sight lines look from the vantage point of a bus driver with kids on the shoulder of the road? 

I say we because the regional superintendents start talking around 4:45 am and share information about the status of roads in our districts. Our CTC and center-based special education students have to travel through different districts to get to their buildings, so roads in surrounding counties impact our students as well. 

Additionally, many of our students (almost 40% of students and close to half of our staff) travel to us from neighboring districts and counties. While the main trunk lines might be clear, the backroads, side roads, hills, and curves give us the most pause. 

Then we consider the forecast. Are we under a winter weather watch, advisory, or warning? Is it supposed to get better or worse throughout the day? The end of day commute is also a factor. 

Last, we consider the road commission and their capacity to clear the roads and get sand down. Often, just plowing the roads reveals lots of ice and glaze underneath the snow. We need time for the sand to work. Right now, the road commission is not out at night,  so we wait for them to get started to see how much can get cleared before the buses have to start at 7:00 am. Our special education route starts at 6:15 am. What will roads look like between 6:30-8:15 am when our kids and staff are driving? 

I don’t know if this is even information you wanted to know, but I thought I’d share. If you’re following the weather, we are supposed to get dumped-on again with 10-14 new inches of snow starting tonight into Thursday.

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend and are enjoying our winter wonderland. See you soon!

Be well, 

Steph