"SNOW ALERT"
Inclement Weather Closing
To Close or Not to Close ----- That is the Question
Any Superintendent or Transportation Director will
tell you that one of his/her most difficult decisions is whether to
close, delay, or open school on days of inclement weather. It is
difficult because they must decide on the probability of
safety to transport students. The process begins at 4:00 a.m. with
several district personnel and weather spotters who are
located in various parts of the county traveling many of the district
roads checking road conditions. During this time we are
in constant contact with Bowling Green officials, the various law
enforcement agencies and News 13 for the latest update
on the weather. We strive to make our decision no later than 5:30 a.m.
since we must inform our district employees, as
well as parents and students.
Since we desire to make a decision by 5:30 a.m., there may be a need to
revise the decision later in the morning
because of a change in storm conditions. It is important for parents to
continue to check television and radio stations after
the initial announcement, in the event weather conditions dictate a
change. Certainly, we realize that the decision is
subject to second-guessing, but please realize that our decision is
made solely on the safety of our children.
WHAT FACTORS GO INTO MAKING THE DECISION TO CLOSE
SCHOOLS?
• Weather forecasts from radio and television stations
• School district, Kentucky Department of Transportation, and various
Police assessment of road conditions
• School district's assessment of school parking and accessibility of
buildings
• Time snow is expected to start and end
• Amount of snow accumulated and predicted
• Expected impact on traffic
• Weather conditions expected after the snow
WHAT HAPPENS IF THE WEATHER BECOMES SEVERE DURING
THE SCHOOL DAY: It may become
necessary to dismiss students one or two hours earlier than normal.
Information on road conditions is received from the
Department of Transportation and Kentucky State Police to determine the
best time for dismissal.
HOW CAN PARENTS BE READY: Parents should be prepared
for an early dismissal by having identified a
procedure for their child to follow in the case of an early dismissal.
In the case of an early dismissal, it is requested that
parents not drive to school to pick up children who normally ride the
school buses. The additional traffic this creates
around the schools and on local roads only makes the safe
transportation of students to their homes more difficult.
EMERGENCY CLOSING/DELAY INFORMATION
SOURCES
WBKO-TV (13) WZTV (17) WTVF-TV (5)
WSM-TV (4) WKRN-TV (2) WBGN-RADIO
WBVR-RADIO WCLU-RADIO WCVK-RADIO
WGGC-RADIO WKCT-RADIO WKLX-RADIO
WKYU-RADIO WPTQ-RADIO WSM-RADIO
Parents and students should not telephone the
schools or the district office for information pertaining to
the operation of schools on these days. These calls can delay proper
notification of the school staff and public,
and can interfere with the handling of school operations. The
announcement of school closing and/or delay is made
on most of the local television and radio stations as soon as possible.
Hopefully, this article provides you with relevant
information and allows you to better understand the process. If you
have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact
the Warren County Schools Transportation Department at 842-8311.
John W. Odom
Director of Transportation
Warren County School system