MAKING THE DECISION: Local school districts explain why they choose to close school

Clark County

Discussion

January 26, 2010

By TARA HETTINGER The News and Tribune Tue Jan 26, 2010, 09:32 PM EST

Administrative teams from all school districts in Clark and Floyd counties always hit the roads early when there is inclement weather to determine whether or not to close school.

Tuesday morning was no different.

Transportation Director Danny Libs was one of those with New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corp. driving the roads after the district declared a 2-hour delay around 5:30 a.m. He went back out to make sure it was safe to send the buses out.

“In front of him a vehicle actually overturned,” said Dave Rarick, director of communications for NA-FC. “It was at that point we decided to call off school. It’s much better to be safe than sorry.”

A similar situation happened at West Clark Community Schools, where Superintendent Monty Schneider had decided on a 2-hour delay around 5:30 a.m. and was on his way to work at 7 a.m. when he saw an accident.

“I saw a car that flipped all the way over near St. Joe Road,” he said. “I could see it was real slick in my opinion and it had gotten colder and the stuff that the traffic had melted was slick as glass.” In his 37 years of being the sole or assisting person to make the decision to call off school, Schneider said having school delayed and later canceled has only happened about two other times.

“I know it creates a real hardship for parents, but my primary thing is to go to school when we can,” he said. “At 5:30 a.m., we didn’t feel like it warranted closing. By 7:30 a.m. it did. If I’m going to err, I’m going to err on the side of safety.”

Marty Bell, chief operating officer at Greater Clark County Schools, said that Greater Clark did the same.

“It’s pretty rare,” he said. “It’s one of those times when the snow and ice is hitting you just as you are getting ready to go to school ... We always want to be in school when we can, but we always want it to be safe.”

Bell said it’s always a tough decision to call off school.

“For some kids, being in school is the safest place to be. They are going to get a good breakfast, a good lunch and be in a warm, safe environment. Our goal is to get schools open,” he said. “It’s a very difficult decision when we decide not to open schools. We try to think of the child first.”

Rarick said parents at NA-FC are notified via phone if school is delayed or canceled, if they sign up to receive those alerts. Other school districts use their Web sites and local media outlets to announce changes.