Milford reestablishes snow day protocols

MILFORD — Winter storms, school days and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have combined to make it a frustrating winter for Milford school parents, according to Superintendent Anna Cutaia.

In a letter to parents reestablishing snow day protocols, Cutaia said the frequency of snowstorms in tha past few weeks has exacerbated the situation.

“We face the challenge of snowstorms and school days, which if we can speak honestly, is exacerbated by the pandemic crisis,” Cutaia wrote. “Most recently, having four out of nine school days impacted by some type of inclement weather has most certainly tried our patience.”

The school system has had a plan in place to deal with winter storms since December, Cutaia said.

But the decision to go to distance learning is made on a case-by-case basis, and the pandemic has made such decisions even more unpredictable.

“These decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis since each storm has its own characteristics and potential impact,” Cutaia wrote. “Nothing about this pandemic has been predictable or formulaic, therefore, I cannot provide you with an exact science of what will be a snow day and what will be a distance learning day.”

Cutaia said her decision to call a snow day or a remote learning day is based on a number of factors. First, she consults with a local metorologist who specializes in municipal and school-related weather decisions. She also contacts the city’s Public Works Department about road conditions and potential power outages.

With that information, she then assesses the conditions at the schools and determines if they are safe for students and staff and conference calls other area superintendents.

Cutaia expressed the importance of safety in each decision.

“You can be assured though that one thing does not waiver, we will make a decision that strives to keep all students and staff safe and healthy based on the best information we have at the time,” she wrote.

One option that was considered and rejected was changing Wednesdays to in-person learning days if snow forced schools to close on a Monday or Tuesday. Currently, Wednesdays are remote learning days.

Cutaia said that after lengthy discussions with school administrators, she decided that having a schedule that could potentiall change from week to week would be too confusing and place an additional hardship on families.