I thought this would be a good time of year to explain what goes into cancelling (or delaying) school for weather related reasons. It's not always snow- if you remember last year, we had a hurricane day! Usually, it is the superintendent watching the weather reports and hoping that the weather doesn't interfere with school. Sometimes, it is a state-wide event and we all receive some direction from the NH Department of Safety. The hurricane last year was one of these, and all of the superintendents took part in a conference call advising us to call off school the next day.
But when it comes to snow or ice, superintendents are pretty much on their own with the decision. I watch the weather every night and check for any storms that are forecast for the school week. If a forecast calls for snow or ice, I watch even more carefully! On the night before a predicted storm, I stay up until around 11:30 PM watching the weather channel and the local reports. I am then up the next morning at 4:30 AM to look out the windows and check the television weather reports again. If there is already snow on the ground, by 5:00 AM, I call our town road agent to see if the roads are clear. Our town road workers are a good judge of what it is like out on the roads and whether the roads will be ready. I also call our police department to see what the officers are saying about the state roads, such as Route 101. Finally, I need to make a decision to call off school before 6:00 AM as our bus drivers need to get the buses ready and out by 6:00 for our high school students. This is so early that the decision is almost always a tricky one. (This week I had to make a decision for a two hour delay due to unexpected icy roads that caught everyone by surprise!)
Once I make the decision to cancel or delay school, it is a race to notify everyone. I call each of the administrative team and then, Jennifer, our Administrative Assistant, makes a call and creates a message to families and staff members. I also call the television and radio stations, the town road agent, the police, and the town manager. This all takes about 45 minutes to an hour. Although students are not in school, our administrators all come in, and the school and SAU offices are open for the day.
The most difficult decisions are when a storm is predicted for later in the morning- after school has already begun. If the weather reports say that the storm will be here at 10:00, it is a tough call. Should I take a chance and get everyone to school and hope that the roads will be clear at dismissal? Or should I cancel school and take a chance that the storm will be so bad, that people will forget it was clear in the morning?
And what if a storm sneaks in unexpectedly during the day? Should I dismiss school and get the buses out as quickly as possible? Or wait and hope that the roads will be better prepared later in the day?
With every decision, I am aware that families may have day care or baby sitting issues that need to be resolved and that, they too, spend time watching the weather to try and predict whether there will be school or not. Every decision I make is made for the safety of our children. I do not want students at bus stops or walking on roads that have not been plowed or out walking where drivers may be sliding on our roads. We live in a rural area with very few sidewalks; winding, hilly roads; and narrow walkways. When you add a snowstorm or ice to this, it can be a dangerous situation for our students.
Cancelling school is not something I like to do, but I do it for the safety of our students. We've had two rough winters in a row, let's hope this year, we only have snow on the weekends!
