School chiefs debate when to close schools
Some students enjoyed an extra-long weekend following their winter break when schools closed because of inclement weather this week.
But not those in the Owen J. Roberts, Phoenixville, Downingtown and Great Valley districts. While the majority of Chester County schools opted to shut down for the day in the wake of the monster Nor’easter and bonenumbing cold that gripped the region, those schools opted instead for a two-hour delay Friday.
“We were ready to roll, but planned on a two-hour,” Downingtown spokeswoman Patricia McGlone said about the 16 schools
being ready to open by the start of the regular school day on Friday.
McGlone explained that members of the facilities department and the bus company drive through the area to determine if the roads are passable. McGlone said that Downingtown Superintendent Emilie Lonardi and Facilities Director Dale Lauver discussed the matter and determined that the schools would be open. She said that because some areas in the district have hilly roads, they took the cautious route and had a two-hour day.
Lonardi pays for the Accu Weather App because it’s more specific and her first action in themorning is to check on the storm and how it will impact the Downingtown area.
“I think it’s particularly helpful,” Lonardi said. “I can make some good decisions from that.”
Lonardi drove on the road within the district boundaries and found the roads were fine. She said that safety is the key and the hard part is determining if people can safely make it to school. She added that includes the bus drivers, parents driving their child, students driving themselves and the staff members. She wishes people would understand the process it takes to reach the decision to delay or close, and put themselves in the shoes of the superintendent because they are “trying to do the right thing for the district.”
Chester County schools returned to school on Tuesday after New Year’s Day and the long Christmas break, and all schools had off on Thursday due to the snow.
“Closing and delaying school is not a decision that any superintendent takes lightly,” Coatesville Superintendent Cathy Taschner said. “As educators, we have all dedicated ourselves to the education of children and the safety of children and staff is always our priority.”
Coatesville Area School district is 75 square miles with rural areas consisting of secondary and tertiary roads, which Taschner said that “despite the ongoing and best efforts of our outstanding townships and municipalities, can drift closed as quickly are they are plowed open.”
That’s why communication between school officials and municipal officials is crucial.
“We stay in contact with our municipalities and their road crews as well as with our transportation providers and of course we routinely watch the weather forecasts and predictions,” Taschner said.
Taschner said Chester County Intermediate Unit Director Joseph O’Brien is committed to providing the area superintendents access to the latest weather reports, the latest road conditions and support in organizing calls during weather events and predicted weather events. She said the superintendents exchange information and road reports with neighboring and adjacent districts.
“Starting out the day in the 4 o’clock hour might be considered a tough way to start the day for some,” Taschner said, “but being on a call with my Chester County superintendent colleagues is a great way to start any snow day.”
West Chester Superintendent James Scanlon is usually awake by 3 a.m. on school days and that helps when school superintendents need to make decisions early in themorning about delaying the start of school or closing.
“Some days it’s easy because you wake up and it snowed,” Scanlon said. “Sometimes there’s nothing and (decisions are) based on predicated forecasts.”
The latest he can make a decision is by 5 a.m. because bus drivers leave from the garage before 6 a.m. The district is responsible for busing students to 140 schools, which includes its public schools well as parochial, private and charter schools nearby and in surrounding counties.
A team drives the roads in the early hours of the morning to check the conditions for the bus routes and he communicates with township officials about what salt trucks and plows are doing and what the drivers think the road conditions are like. After discussing the matter with other superintendents, the decision is communicated to students and their families in various ways including emails and phone calls, through news media outlets and a notice is posted on the district website and on socialmedia accounts.
He said school officials also consider when snowstorms start later in the day if they can end the school day at the regular hour or if an early dismal would be necessary for safety reasons.
West Chester school officials noted that while some of the main roads were OK, others were icy and some back roads were still covered with slush on Thursday. With low temperatures overnight into Friday and chances of icy roads, Scanlon said the decision on Thursday evening went from considering a two-hour delay to closing on Friday. He added that they did not want students riding the school bus or driving themselves to school in such conditions.
“It’s all about safety,” Scanlon said.
Most school districts in Berks and Montgomery counties closed on Friday.