The snow day: one tough call; eight common mistakes rookie leaders commit when the flurries start to fly

School Administrator, Feb, 2003 by Randy L. Dewar

* Consider partial bus routes. Sometimes school can be held even if every road isn't passable by bus. Perhaps the children can walk a little further to a safe bus stop or their parents can drive them to an alternate bus stop or to school. This is an especially good option during a hard winter when students already have missed several days. Devise a system for contacting the families of students affected by a partial bus route plan.

* Keep accurate lists of bus riders. The district should always have an accurate list of riders for each bus route, especially in winter when there is an increased chance of emergencies.

* Build snow days into the school calendar. States that often face school closings during the winter regulate how snow days are built into the calendar. Try to schedule sufficient snow days so you are not scrambling in June to ensure students make up lost instructional days. Ensure that employees and parents know what will happen after a certain number of days are missed due to inclement weather.

* Consider a plan for partial days and late starts. In some areas, the roads can be icy and impassable at 7 a.m. and perfectly dry and safe by 9 a.m. That's when delayed openings may be a viable option. The same type of plan can be developed for an early dismissal if the weather turns bad.

Beware: Today's families often have two working parents and the delayed start or early closing can cause major child care problems. Make sure each parent has an emergency backup plan on file at school in the event school closes early and the parent can't pick up the child or doesn't want the child to go home to an empty house.

* Patrol all school buildings. One cold St. Joseph, Mo., morning under blizzard conditions, a conscientious principal walked the periphery of his school. There, in an outside stairwell to the basement furnace room, he found a 5year-old boy shivering and in the fetal position. The boy's parents, unaware that school was called off, sent him to school. Someone needs to patrol in and around school buildings during the morning to ensure children aren't waiting for someone to show up.

* Create a calling tree. Before the bad weather hits, establish a phone tree to notify all employees and board members of school cancellations and delayed openings. Don't take the responsibility for making more then two or three calls yourself--you have enough to keep you busy.

* Support parental judgment. If parents believe it is unsafe to send their child to school even when school is open during inclement weather, let them know you respect their judgment and understand their decision. Don't harp on whether these are "excused" or unexcused" absences--those words are meaningless to a concerned parent.

* Know how to inform the media. The radio and TV media have code words that callers are required to use in order for them to broadcast your decision to call off school, delay opening or close early. That way, students who want to stay home and play in the snow can't call in and report a school cancellation.