Bagley: closing not always an easy decision

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

To close or not to close school?

Some days the answer is an easy one but other days, it’s a bit more difficult. In the case of Tuesday and Wednesday, the forecast called for extreme cold conditions due to wind chill values well below zero, but not much in the way of snowfall.

Van Wert City Schools Superintendent Mark Bagley and other superintendents had to make a decision based on the current conditions and conditions forecast for later in the day. He also explained that his district has a large number of students that walk to bus stops, which sometimes means extended time in bone-chilling conditions.

“That becomes a dangerous situation,” Bagley said. “Once you get to get to that negative 15 or 25 (wind chill) and you talk to (Van Wert County EMA Director) Rick McCoy, there isn’t much difference. Once you get down that low, the exposure to skin happens really quick. You don’t overreact, but you have to prepare for things like this.”

Bagley noted he maintains contacts with other county superintendents and superintendents in Paulding, Putnam, Mercer and Auglaize counties while making a decision.

“Today (Tuesday) was day No. 5 that we’ve missed and our main objective is to get kids in school and educate them, but we have to be safe too,” he said. “Crestview, Lincolnview and Van Wert – we try to stay together as much as possible.”

The initial decision to go on a two-hour delay on Tuesday was made Monday night. The closure was decided Tuesday morning. Tuesday night, Bagley made the decision to issue a two-hour delay for Wednesday, while noting another closure is a possibility.

“It gives families a chance to start planning,” Bagley said of making a decision the previous night. “You can’t always make a full plan with a two-hour delay but at least you can have a plan that there may be extra sleep or babysitters involved. We know it’s a hardship whenever we cancel or delay but we want to give parents a few extra hours to plan (when possible)…it gives us a few hours, because we have to make a decision by eight o’clock in the morning, but it gives us some time to see if the forecast is accurate.”

Bagley also noted that making a decision to hold an athletic event is different than deciding on the school day.

“You’re going from a warm house to a warm car to a warm building,” he stated. “Walking outside is very minimal for everybody involved. When you have hundreds of walkers who walk to a bus stop, that’s much different than an athletic event.”

“Temperatures become tricky,” he said. “It’s not an easy decision. I know people at home think it is and I get that but we’re trying to help families and trying to help students and ultimately we’re trying to get people to school and we want to do it safely.”