How cold is too cold for school?

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

No doubt you’ve heard someone say it or perhaps you’ve said it yourself – “Why is school delayed or closed because it’s cold? In my day, we went no matter how cold it was.”

It leads to the question – just how cold is too cold for school?

Due to projected wind chill values as low as -15, officials at all Van Wert County schools, including Vantage Career Center, along with Wayne Trace, Parkway, Spencerville, Paulding, and Antwerp, decided Monday night to delay the start of classes by two hours on Tuesday, then canceled school altogether before 8 a.m.Tuesday morning. Van Wert County schools also made the decision to go on a two-hour delay today.

Van Wert City Schools Superintendent Mark Bagley said while many factors go into the decision to delay or close, in the case of sub-zero wind chills values, one important thing stands out in making the call.

“You always see where Lima City Schools close early when it’s cold…they have a ton of bus stop students as do we,” Bagley stated. “That’s a huge consideration. There are times that parents drop their kids off very early at the bus stop and you really worry about if they’re dressed properly, do they have gloves, hats, winter coats?”

“Once they’re at the bus stop we take responsibility for those children and that becomes a huge factor in delaying and obviously in this case, canceling with the added snow on top,” he continued. “Lots of superintendents talk, we talk every day when there’s a weather concern. We also talk to superintendents in Putnam, Allen, Mercer and Paulding counties and kind of get a feel for what everybody’s thinking. A lot goes into it and it’s not always a simple decision but that’s how the decisions are made.”

Tuesday’s delay, then closure was caused not only by low wind chill values, but snow that came down overnight and coated the roads.

“With the added snow that wasn’t going to melt on the roads because the temperature at the time was two degrees, it wasn’t going to matter,” Bagley stated.

In the past, school officials would normally wait until the morning to make the decision to delay and/or close, but that’s a trend that seems to be changing. Making the call the night before (when possible) gives parents, especially those with younger children, a chance to plan ahead.

“If their plan was to drop their kids off at the bus stop at 6:30 and we’re on a two hour delay and buses aren’t coming there until 9 or 10 a.m., that’s an awful long time so this gives families a chance to plan at night,” Bagley explained. “That’s kind of new thinking that’s happened and I think it’s important. With all the different dynamics of families now and babysitting and supervision, we thought it was a good idea as a county to give parents a heads-up.”

In the case of a potential “normal” snow day, the process of deciding what to do begins well before dawn.

“Assistant Superintendent Bob Priest and I are usually out on the roads by 5 a.m., Bagley said. “We have to make our delay call by 6 a.m. because our buses go out around then, so that gives us an hour to drive and talk. It’s a pretty intense 45 minutes plus all of the calls we have to make to all of our people, the sheriff, the police, to all the news stations, then it happens all over again at 7 a.m. if we’re on a two hour delay and 8 a.m. if we’re on a three hour delay.”

Bagley added Van Wert has had six or seven delay days so far and one cancelation.