Anatomy of a snow day

I don’t believe in snow days. There I’ve said it. Of course I loved them when I was a kid, but as an educator, I hate to lose a day where we can be teaching students. If a student catches me on a day where bad weather is in the forecast and asks me if we’re going to have a snow day, you can bet my answer is going to be a resounding “NO!”

However, since the upstate New York winter has arrived with a vengeance, we know that some snowy or icy days are on the way. And despite what I would hope, it is inevitable that some inclement weather will eventually affect our school schedule.

So, contrary to what I want all of our students to believe, I probably will have to call the occasional snow day.

The historic ice storm that hit our region on Friday, December 12 is a perfect example of a time when I felt there was a definitive need for an emergency closing of our school. But often, the decision to close school is not that clear cut.

The Wednesday following the storm, December 17, was a bit more complicated. On these types of days there is a great deal that goes into making the decision to close, delay or maintain our regular schedule.

When the weather’s bad, my day starts at about 4 a.m. with a call to our head of maintenance, John Szkopiec. Mr. Szkopiec is always the first one on school grounds during bad weather. He gives me an update on the conditions of our buildings, parking lots and the roads leading to our schools. He also frequently talks with the plow drivers for the City of Watervliet to get a read on the condition of the rest of the roads in the City.

My second call is to our Director of Transportation, Mrs. Yanni. Mrs. Yanni has a report from the transportation companies we contract with on the conditions of the roads and the readiness of the bus fleet. Next, I call the superintendents of our neighboring districts in Cohoes and Green Island. The three of us will review what we have learned so far that morning and discuss any ways that we may be able to assist each other during the weather emergency. In very serious situations, such as the Valentines Day storm in February of 2007 that forced the schools to close for two consecutive days, I will call the Mayor, Fire Chief and Chief of Police to look to coordinate our response and pool resources.

When all of the information is collected, a final determination is made and the notices go out to the media, gets posted on our district website, www.watervlietcityschools.org, and the phone trees begin for faculty and staff. My last step is to contact the Board of Education members informing them of the decision that was made and why.

So, if you ever wonder how I decide to close, delay or remain on our regular schedule, now you know. It doesn’t have anything to do with whether or not kids are wearing their pajamas inside out, or sleeping with a spoon under their pillows, as I have heard many students have started to do as a “night-before-a-snow day” ritual. I rely heavily on the input of others and do what is needed to ensure the safety of our students and staff.