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How are decisions made to cancel school because of weather, and who makes those decisions?
In most school corporations in Kosciusko County, administrators are out in the early morning hours, driving on county roads and assessing conditions.
They also contact state and county highway departments, law enforcement agencies and other school districts to get a complete picture of the situation, Dr. Lee Harman, superintendent of Warsaw schools, said today.
Mark Stock, Wawasee superintendent, said the first decision on whether to delay or cancel school is made around 6 a.m.
"If we have a two-hour delay, then that gives us about two more hours to see if enough salt and sand and enough plowing can get done, especially on secondary roads," he said.
Wawasee schools have missed eight days so far.
Harman said delays also give drivers more visibility and allow them to see students who are waiting for buses.
This morning, Harman said, he was out at 4:45 a.m., "and conditions were marginal, at best."
He also, along with bus drivers and other administrators, drove on country roads last night, and said "there wasn't a whole lot of improvement this morning over last night."
He said there also was some drifting in the southern part of the county.
Dr. William Worl, superintendent of Whitko schools, which have missed seven days, said, "With a delay we can still get a substantial part of the school day in."
After a delay is called, however, conditions can still change, Worl said.
"Today the county highway department has some plows down. It's OK in the northern part of the district, but some roads are still closed in the southern part of the district."
Stock said he pays particular attention to certain priority roads, especially Armstrong and Milford-Syracuse roads.
"Fifty percent of our students are on those two roads, and both mornings (yesterday and today) both roads were treacherous," he said. "Since we know that half our population is on those two roads, that made the decision."
Rex Roth, Triton superintendent, said students attended Triton school on a delayed schedule yesterday and at the regular time today.
Triton has missed the fewest days so far, at five.
"We did have a bus that got stuck yesterday," Roth said.
Most bus drivers have been told not to attempt to turn around as they would on clear roads, and to avoid areas they think they cannot get through.
Harman said some drivers also may call their students' homes and ask them to gather at a more accessible place.
All the superintendents said their decisions to delay or cancel school are based on the safety of their students and staff.
"If we're going to err, we're going to err on the side of safety," Harman said.
Feedback from parents with cabin-feverish kids has been mixed, but for the most part has been supportive.
"The majority of people understand we're trying to make decisions based on the safety of kids," Harman said.
Roth said he has had a few people complain that conditions were too icy for school buses, but Stock said he has had just the opposite experience.
"This is the first time in all my years in the central office where I've been criticized for not having school," he said. "I've been criticized for having school, but not for not having school."
Dr. Karen Boling, superintendent of Tippecanoe Valley schools, said she thinks the greatest criticism is when a school delay is called and the delay turns into a cancellation.
"Today we were told they were going to salt and sand, then the wind came up and complicated county efforts," she said.
Boling said Tippecanoe Valley schools have missed nine days so far, and students have not been back in school since Christmas vacation.
All of the superintendents warned that winter isn't over yet, and less-than-ideal conditions may continue.
Harman is planning for Warsaw schools, which have missed eight days so far, to be in session Friday.
"We're probably going to see ice on our roads for some time, and we need the public's help" in dealing with getting kids to school in spite of the road conditions, he said.
Roth said winters have been exceptionally mild recently, and people in this area are now getting used to a typical northern winter.
"This is northern Indiana and we have to expect a certain amount of snow and ice," he said.
