By Kevin Bumgarner - editor@enterprisepub.com
The three public school districts in Washington County have sometimes reached different conclusions this year when deciding whether to cancel classes or delay the start of the school day because of adverse weather conditions.
Blair Community Schools has canceled classes seven times because of the weather. (Six times for preschoolers.) Fort Calhoun Community Schools has called off class the equivalent of four complete days. Arlington Public Schools also has canceled classes for the day four times, and has started late on two other occasions.
Blair Superintendent Randall Gilson and Fort Calhoun Superintendent Jerry Green said the number of closures so far this year at their schools has been “slightly above average” and “toward the high end.” Dawn Lewis, the superintendent in Arlington, was more reserved in her response, saying “every year is different.”
Student and staff safety is the No. 1 concern each school district has when it comes to deciding about whether classes will be held. And, while snow is certainly the top contributor to scheduling changes, extreme cold and volatile winds are also deciding factors.
The three school districts use everything from National Weather Service [NWS] updates, television forecasts and checking in with superintendents at other school districts in the area as part of their decision-making process.
“It is never easy, and since the NWS doesn’t always get it correct, clearly there is no right or wrong answer,” said Lewis, in Arlington. “Our intent is to be sensitive to the needs of our families as well; not everyone has it easy when we call off school for a day.”
In Blair, Gilson said road conditions, bus transportation safety, challenging terrain and walkability for students all play into his decisions.
That’s why Blair doesn’t typically consider delayed starts, Gilson said. Because some bus drivers would need to start their routes at 8 a.m. for a 10 a.m. start to the school day.
Despite the number of school days lost to the weather this year, none of the superintendents thought they would need to extend their school years or cancel any breaks at this point in time.
But if any more days have to be canceled, some tough decisions might have to be made.
“We think that we can miss four days of instructional time and still meet the high level of instructional standards that we want for our students,” Green said.
Since Fort Calhoun has canceled classes for the hourly equivalent of four days, Green said any additional cancellations will probably lead to conversations with his administrators, instructional leaders and the school board.
Even with seven weather days so far this year, Blair still remains above the required instructional hours set by the State of Nebraska, Gilson said. As a result, he has no plans to make up any of the lost time.
Arlington typically builds in two to three “snow days” into its calendar. Since it is sitting at four lost days and two late starts, Lewis said she will need to make a recommendation to the board of education on how to proceed.
“In the past, we have had enough scheduled hours of instruction that the board has allowed us to waive the additional days,” Lewis said. “Since we may have more [weather days] yet before the year is out, I cannot determine how close we are on actual instructional hours yet.”
She said she would not want to cancel any breaks or extend the school year. Lewis said such a move would be “detrimental” to families and staff members who may already have plans during those times.
Green said he, too, would do whatever it takes not to extend the school year. Options, if necessary, could be making the Monday after Easter a school day instead of a holiday and converting the April 4 teacher inservice day to an instructional day.
Fort Calhoun could also eliminate early Friday dismissals to make up the instructional time, Green said.
Gilson said he appreciates the patience and understanding of families with students in Blair Community Schools when it comes to decisions about weather-related school closings.
“It’s not a decision that’s made lightly,” Green concluded. “It’s always about student safety. Sometimes I’ll get emails and messages from people who are upset about the decision. I understand. Everybody is going to line up differently.”r4s
