BERKS COUNTY, Pa. – The recent snow and extreme temperatures have made things tricky to plan for many school districts in terms of how to structure school days. While some have turned to morning delays, others are opting for virtual learning.
“Safety is always the paramount factor in making decisions,” says Andrew Potteiger, the superintendent for the Brandywine Heights Area School District.
Safety is at the top of the list for school officials when it comes to determining what to do in bad weather.
“I will always make the decision for what is best for our students,” says Potteiger. “We have to consider bus safety. I have to consider student driver safety, our staff getting in, our student walkers.”
Paired with forecasts, extensive communication and other data, a lot goes into these decisions.
“For this week, the factors that we were looking at were the snow for sure, but then also the icy conditions and again, 70% of our students are walkers here in the city of Reading,” says Dr. Khalid Mumin, the superintendent for the Reading School District.
RSD opted for virtual learning this week.
“For us it’s best for us to call these days the night before, which gives our parents, our guardians, and community an opportunity to adjust,” says Mumin.
He adds the city is working to clear snow, which should allow them to bring students back in person by Monday.
BHASD did two days of virtual learning but switched to a 2-hour delay for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. He says that decision was mostly based on extreme temperatures.
“Again, realizing it’s very difficult for those parents’ schedules, but on the flip side, my thought process was if I could get that information out ahead of time; it allows them to at least better prepare for it,” says Potteiger.