(WHTM) \u2014 Every kid wishes for a \u201csnow day\u201d to stay home from school, but many may not know what goes into choosing when to call for weather-related delays or cancellations.<\/p>\n
According to Dr. Gina Eosco of the Cherokee National Strategic Programs, northern states experience winter weather more than southern states, and therefore have better access to resources and infrastructure. This means northern schools do not typically close just for snow, but rather for frigid temperatures.<\/p>\n
\u201cImagine a student waiting for a bus or walking to school in -20\u00b0F temperatures,\u201d Dr. Eosco said in an interview with Weather Underground<\/a>. \u201cSnow by itself won\u2019t harm students, but the cold may.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Mark DiRocco, the executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators, says these decisions are much tougher than people think.<\/p>\n Close<\/a><\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Watch for us in your inbox.<\/p>\n Subscribe Now<\/p>\n \u201cThe easiest decision is when there is 12 inches of snow on the ground \u2013 make the call the night before and get a little extra sleep in the morning,\u201d said DiRocco in a 2018 interview with abc27.<\/a> \u201cWhen you get extreme temperatures like we\u2019re seeing right now, then you have to factor in other variables. How many of your kids walk to school? Can they be outside without exposure to potential frostbite? Sometimes there are frostbite advisories.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Eosco says superintendents collaborate closely with local departments of transportation (DOTs), weather officials, and other agencies to pinpoint the timing of the weather, analyze road and sidewalk conditions, and determine how quickly they can recover.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the snow falls is critical,\u201d said Dr. Eosco. \u201cCan DOTs and public works clear the roads in time? What about the sidewalks? Almost all weather information is important\u2014timing, temperature, wind chills, snow amounts, etc.\u2014but how other local and state agencies (e.g., DOTs) respond is important too. Student safety (and of course staff safety) comes first.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. DiRocco says several superintendents in neighboring school districts may make a joint decision when issuing delays or cancellations. Several schools send students to the same technical school or share special education resources, so closing some schools, but not others, could disrupt transportation and programs.<\/p>\n Local emergency managers typically use and value the local National Weather Service forecast, however school superintendents also take parents into account.<\/p>\n \u201cAs soon as one parent hears that Station \u2018A\u2019 is forecasting 12 inches of snow, the parent wants to know why the schools aren\u2019t making the decision to close\u2026 now,\u201d said Dr. Eosco. \u201cFor superintendents, social pressure or the parental perception of the forecast weighs heavily on their decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n