Calling a snow day can be tricky business, area school administrators say

With forecasts calling for a couple of inches or more of snow through this afternoon, superintendents in Southeast Missouri are keeping a close eye on the weather this morning.

But as quickly as winter conditions change, school administrators could be facing some tough decisions early this morning.

It can be tricky business, issuing the order to cancel school based on bad weather. School administrators are constantly in the cross-hairs of criticism from parents on the "snow day" debate. They can feel the heat both ways -- when they call off school and when they don't. And any delay in making the decision can leave parents in a child care bind.

"It's a really tough decision and one we try not to make too far in advance," said Jim Welker, superintendent of the Cape Girardeau School District. "Weather changes too much, and that's why we get up in the middle of the night" to check conditions.

He, like many school administrators, spends his share of early mornings in winter checking on the weather.

On days like today, a team of Cape Girardeau School District employees hits the ground early to track conditions. Welker said he and Neil Glass, the district's director of administrative services, will get up early and drive the roads. The district's transportation provider, First Student, also contributes information.

The National Weather Service forecast late Monday called for one to two inches of snow today, with a 50 percent chance of snow, mainly before noon. Winds, with gusts as high as 24 mph, could present the real travel hazard.

Just when the nasty weather hits and precisely where is often the million-dollar question, administrators say.

With 285 square miles, the Jackson School District covers a wide space with varying landscape, and conditions often vary from point to point. That's why it's so critical to get ground information before coming to a decision, said Jackson superintendent Ron Anderson. Still, even the best data collection has its limits.

"I have been so surprised so many times, when the morning comes and it's a whole lot different from we thought it was going to be," Anderson said.

There's only so much time to make the call. In Cape Girardeau, buses start pulling out by 5:30 a.m., and to keep the school day on schedule, Welker said, he needs to make a decision no later than 6 a.m. The drop-dead time in Jackson is around 6 a.m., Anderson said.

The decision to call off school has drawn the ire of parents and other community members, critical that the decision was done hastily, that conditions didn't warrant canceling classes or, on the other side, an administrator acted imprudently in not calling a snow day. Delaying or canceling school can complicate family schedules, something administrators say they try to remain aware of.

"We have to make sure the kids get to school safely. That has to be the top priority," Welker said. "But we do take those other things into consideration, the fact that parents have to make special arrangements when we don't have school and the disruption of instructional time."

Those snow days can add up quickly, and Missouri school districts must make up lost days -- to a point.

Districts with five-day school weeks are required to hold classes a minimum of 174 days per year, with 1,044 hours of actual pupil attendance. The school calendar includes six makeup days, plus half of additional days lost, up to a total of 10 makeup days, according to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The remainder of the days and hours lost may be forgiven under the state's "inclement weather forgiveness" rule.

When an administrator makes the call to cancel school, a mass media notification campaign kicks in. Cape Girardeau officials launch a text alert system, and the high school has an automated call system that sends cancellation and delay information to parents.

"We don't have that for all buildings because of the expense," Welker said.

Jackson this school year rolled out its districtwide automated system, which received its first test in December.

"It gives information quicker, and it catches cell and home phones," Anderson said.

Whether the weather turns today into a snow day, Welker says stay tuned.

"We encourage parents and students to watch the Internet sites and the other media, and we will try to make that decision as quickly as we can," he said.

mkittle@semissourian.com

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301 N. Clark Ave. Cape Girardeau, MO