The snow day process final decision is made by the school superintendent, Dr. Christian Overstreet, but it is also followed by several other steps and procedures.
Some first steps into making a snow day decision are based on road safety. High school principal Randie Roepke said, “Weather forecasts as well as the district-wide accessibility to ensure the safety of the students, teachers and staff.”
Overstreet believes that safety is always the top priority. He stated, “We look at road conditions, visibility, temperature, and the amount of snow or ice accumulated. We also consider whether buses can travel safely on both main and side roads, and if our parking lots and sidewalks can be cleared in time for students and staff to arrive safely.”
To go further in depth, Overstreet drives the roads the evening before as well as the early morning to assess road conditions. He starts by checking the road and parking lot conditions as early as 4:00 AM.
Reports and forecasts from the National Weather Service are also taken into consideration during this process. The National Weather Services host Zoom calls the night before potential winter weather arrives and also the morning of the weather. Overstreet also communicates with the directors in Fair Grove transportation department. He said, “These individuals know our routes very well and have extensive experience with what a bus can and cannot handle in poor road conditions caused by weather. Additionally, I communicate with our Maintenance Director regarding the treatment of sidewalks and snow removal from the parking lots.”
As soon as the decision is made to cancel school, there will be notifications sent through the district’s communication platforms. The school tries to make this decision by 5:30 or 6:00 AM so families have time to plan. Overstreet continued to say there are “rare cases– like a major storm that is clearly coming — I might call it the night before.” This includes sending a message through their automated phone calls, social media, and text messages. They additionally have an account with the local news stations and share information with those outlets.
A recent change that has been made was the Board of Education approving that the school districts can use five AMI (Alternative Methods of instruction/virtual learning) days before they need to use a “priority Monday.” Priority Mondays are listed on the district calendar as Mondays that we have to make up for school.
