Snow Days: How Districts Decide To Close Schools

TINLEY PARK, IL — Snow days. Kids love them. Parents hate them. But the heart-thumping anticipation of sitting in front of a radio, television or webpage waiting for The Snow Day Verdict to be handed down is an Illinois rite of passage. But should the decision to close schools be so hard? Snow is snow, cold is cold, so no matter what school a child attends, it should be easy, right?

Not so, superintendents said. Closing schools is a tough task because it is based on a complicated, unpredictable set of factors. Mother Nature doesn’t play by 9 to 5 rules.

This week in particular has been tough. Across the region, schools grappled with whether to stay open because of Monday’s snow and Wednesday’s dangerous cold. Schools in northern Cook County, such as in Arlington Heights and Palatine, closed Monday. But those in the southern portion, including New Lenox and Frankfort, stayed open. Wednesday: Every public school in the region canceled classes and activities. For Tuesday and Thursday, in many cases, parents await a decision.

“Superintendents pretty much don’t sleep on days leading up to questionable weather,” said Lori Bein, superintendent of Arlington Heights District 25.

The polar vortex, however, is a slam-dunk case: It’s too cold for anyone to be outside safely.

“This has been a unique year,” Bein said. “I have been in education in the suburbs for 28 years and this is the first time schools were closed four days.”

But when the polar vortex parks elsewhere, that’s when the hard work of weather-based school closings kicks in. There are no state guidelines for weather-based school closures. That’s a local decision. Generally, in the winter, the decision comes down to two similar but separate factors. Snow and cold.

“We’re thinking about everybody’s safety — students who have to be at the bus stop and close enough to walk, and staff who have to drive in from work a half-hour away, said Bill Kendall, superintendent of Bremen High School District 228. “It’s all kind of wrapped in one and we have try to make the best decision with what we’ve got.”

The factors
When it snows, he and other superintendents said, they monitor forecasts to keep an eye not only on accumulation but also on what time snow falls. Rush hour can create dicey travel conditions for busses, student drivers and staff. Administrators also work with municipalities to see how quickly roads can be cleared. They also check in with staff. Sometimes maintenance crews have to be onsite in the wee hours to clear snow, check pipes and turn on the heat. If all of the conditions can’t be met – say, the village can’t get plows out in time for maintenance to arrive safely – then administrators may be forced to close the campus.

For example, Palatine District 211 called a snow day on Nov. 26, the day after Thanksgiving. One contributing reason was Cook County. It doesn’t hire plow drivers until Dec. 1, said district spokesman Thomas Pedersen. So county roads weren’t clear, which threatened the safety of those traveling to school.

“Very often superintendents won’t make a decision until five in the morning, and we don’t make a decision until we’re very sure,” said Morgan Delack, a spokeswoman with Community Consolidated School District 15 in Palatine. “We really don’t want to close. When it comes to safety…then we’ll decide whether to keep the school closed.”

Sometimes, the decision may not be the best one for everyone. Alex Blakemore, 17, of Frankfort, drove to Lincoln-Way East in Monday’s rush-hour snow. He wishes he hadn’t.

The roads did not appear plowed, he said, traffic crawled along U.S. Route 45, and he passed a car in a ditch. When he made it to school, the parking lot was not fully plowed, and he slid into his first-period algebra seat five minutes late. He was one of four students who made it that early. Most arrived near the end of class.

“At the very least, they should have had a delayed start,” he said. Lincoln-Way District 210 officials declined to comment.

When it’s cold, and snow is not a factor, the decision whether to close a school is a little easier. Many districts have a clear-cut policy that aligns with National Weather Service predictions. If the air temperature is forecast to be -15 degrees or below and the wind chill is expected to be -30 degrees or below for a sustained amount of time, then school will be closed.

It gets complicated
But even then, there are mitigating factors. Some officials have to take walkers into consideration, or kids who come from homes where there may be no heat or little food. If area high schools stay open but elementaries close, then child care could become a factor for families.

Bein said she and her colleagues understand the timing of their decisions can have a big impact on families, from whether the can call a sitter in time to whether they go to work at all. Those same decisions affect her staff, too. And no one really wants kids to miss their lessons and learning.

This year, she said, her district will be looking into other options, including delayed start times and e-learning opportunities – a new avenue opened by federal changes to the way schools are funded. They are now funded by enrollment rather than clock-hour days. Delayed starts would not have to be made up at the end of the year.

Whatever the case, ultimately, officials said, it’s the parents’ right to keep kids home if they think the weather is a risk to their child’s safety. Those absences, officials added, will be excused.

Photo via Shutterstock.