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Special |
From the Superintendent's
Desk Dear Parents and Guardians: Winter has arrived and so have the days for which so many students look forward: Snow Days. When deciding to close the schools due to weather, the highest priority we have is the safety of the children being transported. We will always choose the course of action that is safe over one that might be safe. The severity of the storm is just one of many things that affect our decision. Whether the peak of the storm will occur during the bus runs in the morning or afternoon is considered. The amount of snow and how icy the roads are during these busy times is a significant factor. Another important factor is the uncertainty of how other drivers react with students standing on the sides of the roads during these compromised road conditions. It would be a terrible tragedy should a driver spin out of control near a bus stop full of children. When we are aware of impending inclement weather, we check three sources of radar as well as checking updated Wayne County Road Commission reports and the current weather status. The Transportation Director, the Building and Grounds Supervisor, and I, then touch base and start checking the road conditions at 2:30 a.m. We have over 85 square miles in our school district to cover with several miles of road being unpaved and therefore a chief area of concern. We focus on looking at the conditions of some of the paved and the unpaved roads along with some subdivisions to ascertain the busses ability to navigate the roads. All of these factors play an important role in a final determination that must be made in a narrow window of time, not later than 4:30 - 5:00 a.m. Inclement weather is not the only reason schools may be closed. In recent years a power outage and a water main break were cause for canceling school or send students home early. Schools have been closed in past years due to the unpaved roads being too muddy to allow a bus to pass without getting stuck in a quagmire. No matter what the cause, we will always contact the media listed below to communicate school closings. We currently send school closing information to the following news sources: WJBK TV Channel 2 WDIV TV Channel 4 WXYZ TV Channel 7 WJR AM (760) Radio WWJ AM (950) Radio WAAM AM (1600) Q95-5 FM It is often easy to second guess the decision to close school, sometimes overlooking the geographical factors and focusing entirely on the severity of the storm. Rest assured that the safety of our children is first and foremost when making the decision. Sincerely, Pete L. Lazaroff, Jr.
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