Bus schedule a big factor in deciding snow days

If the streets are bad at 4 a.m. today, it's likely that many schools will cancel classes and make it a snow day.

Suburban school superintendents say poor predawn weather and road conditions are what often lead them to make the parentally unpopular decision to call off school, and it's usually based on two factors: student safety and the bus schedule.

Not only do they consider whether students will have to wait at bus stops in dangerous conditions, but whether poor road conditions will prevent school buses from completing their routes on time.

In many suburban districts, the buses do double or triple duty. They'll start with the high school routes, and do the middle and elementary school routes after that. If slow-going road conditions make the high school buses run late, then the other routes will be delayed, causing a myriad problems.

"It's not a matter of 'Can the buses run?' but can the buses run on time and can we keep to the schedule?" said Melea Smith, director of communications in Naperville Unit District 203.

To solve this problem, and avoid taking snow days, some school districts have implemented delayed starts or early dismissals. On Tuesday, for example, Barrington District 220 let the high school and middle school students out early, so the elementary bus routes would be on time, Superintendent Tom Leonard said.

Early Tuesday morning, Geneva Community Unit School District 304 Superintendent Kent Mutchler got up at 3 a.m. and drove around to inspect the conditions. With the weather forecasts calling for the snow to continue overnight, he plans to do it again this morning.

"The really troublesome time is between 4 and 7 a.m. If you get a heavy snow and high winds during that time, you're probably more likely to make a call (of a snow day)," he said.

It's important to make a decision early, so parents can make child-care accommodations, alter their work schedules if necessary, and staff members don't start heading into work.

"It's a difficult situation," Mutchler said. "We can handle a five-minute delay, and we want our bus drivers to be cautious ... but some folks are going to be upset no matter what."

Leonard said he must make a decision about a snow day no later than 5:30 a.m. - which is 45 minutes before the first Barrington High School student would be waiting at a bus stop.

Leonard and District 220 students did a humorous spoof of the snow day decision process at www.youtube.com/user/Barrington220