Local school districts share how they decide on winter weather cancellations, delays

Plenty of schools across the Miami Valley were on delayed starts or closed Tuesday due to cold temperatures and road conditions.

News Center 7′s John Bedell spoke with local school districts about how they make those decisions.

Elizabeth Hill has a son in morning preschool at Fairborn City Schools.

But he didn’t go to school Tuesday because of a morning preschool cancellation that came along with the district’s delay.

“It was a two-hour delay. I found out at 5:30 this morning,” Hill said.

Hill and two other Fairborn parents said they found out about the delay with that early morning phone call.

>> Bitter cold continues today; Wind Chill Advisory for parts of region overnight

It was just one of the ways the district lets its families know about a scheduling change.

“I’m sure it’s more convenient to find out the night before for people that have to go into work, instead of finding out two hours before they have to go to work. So it seems like it probably would be a little bit more convenient to find it out the night before,” Hill said.

A Fairborn City Schools spokesperson said the timing of Tuesday’s winter weather was the reason for the decision and call at 5:30 a.m.

News Center 7 checked in with districts in five of our local counties, asking how they work to decide when to delay or cancel due to winter weather, and when they try to make that decision.

Many had similar answers saying they consult with nearby superintendents and check temperatures, wind chills, and road conditions.

Springfield City Schools guidelines acknowledged there are no “concrete rules” for when to issue a delay or cancellation and they try to announce a closure the night before “whenever possible.”

Greenville’s superintendent said if conditions are especially bad they will decide the night before, otherwise aim for an early morning decision around 5:30 a.m.

For a complete list of closings and delays visit here.

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