School officials say there is a lot of thought about cancellations due to snowfall | News, sports, jobs

|Photo provided| Ohio County Schools posted this photo taken by a staff member surveying local roads to determine whether buses can pass safely.

WHEELING — Those who live in downtown Wheeling or Moundsville may look out the window and see clear streets, but that doesn’t mean nearby streets at higher elevations aren’t snow-covered and unsafe, school officials note.

When snowfall is forecast, school leaders, operations staff, bus drivers and even county emergency management officials collectively decide whether it is safe to bring students to schools.

“The safety of students and our staff is our top priority,” said Marshall County Schools Transportation Director Jody Korn. “We spend many hours and a lot of time making the decision. We don’t take it lightly.

“Just because we can look out the window and see free streets, there are a lot of places where we take buses that are not free.”

Ohio County Schools posted photos on Facebook this week that staff took of snow-covered roads in remote areas where it would not have been safe to send a bus.

Karin Butyn, public relations director for Ohio County Schools, said the school district is initially working in coordination with Lou Vargo, Ohio County EMA director, to determine the status of local roads.

Ohio County Schools Superintendent David Crumm and his staff are actively involved in roadside inspection while maintenance staff check the condition of the school grounds, she added.

Superintendent Kim Miller and Assistant Superintendent Rick Jones are also involved.

There is a lot of communication, and administration officials often call employees who live on more dangerous roads and ask if they are passable.

“Everyone is working together to do their part,” Butyn said. “So often the community looks at the main roads and wonders why we are canceling school, but the back roads quickly become icy and messy and we are transporting thousands of children every day.”

Miller added that a new resource this year is a Perry weather station that was placed at Wheeling Park High School. It provides detailed information about the region’s incoming weather, and both West Liberty University and Wheeling University also use the technology, she said.

“This will allow us to see the highs and lows, precipitation and expected wind and snow,” she said. “It’s brand new for us.”

School officials receive notifications on their phones from the Perry Weather Station. Miller noted that local superintendents also communicated with each other about weather and road conditions.

She reported that roads leading to WPHS remained snow covered and “pretty bad” Wednesday.

“And when a road is that bad, we don’t put our students in a bad situation,” Miller said.

Korn said she and the Marshall County Schools administration would spend a lot of time watching the Weather Channel and checking for updates from the National Weather Service before deciding to close the school.

They are also consulting with Marshall County EMA Director Tom Hart.

“Our operations staff goes out and takes care of the roads,” Korn continued. “Superintendent (Shelby) Haines goes out and our drivers report on road conditions.”

Sand Hill is one of the more dangerous areas when it snows, but Korn said “there are a lot of winding, narrow roads throughout the county” that the school district needs to take into account.

She said those making the decisions will try to announce by 5:30 p.m. whether they are canceling classes for the following day.

If unexpected weather conditions occur later, a call will be made by 5 a.m., Korn continued. “At this point there were already chefs and drivers on the roads.”

In Ohio County Schools, Butyn said officials are making every effort to let the public know whether there will be school the next day by 6 p.m.

“But things happen,” she continued. “We can’t always guarantee that it will come to 6 p.m., but we will always try to make it happen.”

School districts like St. Clairsville are finally back to a full day of school after the Christmas break after days of snow prevented an earlier return.

According to St. Clairsville Superintendent Walter Skaggs, school leaders are communicating with each other about whether or not schools will be canceled. Skaggs, Director of Support Services Lowell Perkins and Assistant Director of Support Services Ray Laudermilt head out to hit the road and check conditions. The three of them control streets and parking lots throughout the city.

The district is also in contact with the Ohio Department of Transportation and other organizations that care for the roads.

“The ultimate goal is that we do what is safest for our children,” Skaggs said. “We don’t want to put a lot of children in danger. So it’s easy to get defensive when someone says, “Why did you cancel school?” What if something had happened? I would definitely have regretted it if it had been like that.”

A level two or three, and sometimes level one, emergency results in an automatic cancellation, Skaggs said.

Some roads are gravel and throughout Richland Township there is a bus lane. Skaggs said he had to consider the back roads that see a lot of blowing and blowing snow.

While U.S. 40 and Interstate 70 may be clear some days, the back roads are treacherous, Skaggs said, and there may not be much snow, but there will still be melting and ice.

Wind chill plays a role in the decision of a two-hour delay or cancellation. Skaggs said he doesn’t want students standing outside waiting for the bus when the wind is cold. So when the sun comes up it gets warmer and makes a difference. Two-hour delays also give the city time to clear and clean the streets. Skaggs said it gives the district a chance to see if the city’s measures are working, and if not, the district will make a denial.

In Ohio, school districts are required to be in school for a certain number of hours each year for elementary, middle and high schools. If the county uses snow days, the hours of the day are subtracted and then subtracted until the county knows what the minimum number of hours is.

According to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, schools should schedule overtime beyond the minimum number of required hours to accommodate weather-related delays or closures.

St. Clairsville schools have several scheduled days well above the minimum number.

The days were built in to give the school some leeway, Skaggs said.

Staff writer Josie Burkhart contributed to this report.