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School officials do homework when it snows
(by Sue Hoffman - December 08, 2010)
School officials do homework when it snows
By SUE HOFFMAN
Like most school districts in Cuyahoga County, Solon City Schools weathered this week's lake-effect snowstorm without a snow day. Remaining open meant some early morning decision-making by School Superintendent Joseph V. Regano and Assistant Superintendent Thomas W. Stupica.
"Monday morning, there were only 2 to 3 inches of snow. I was here at 5 a.m., and it was not all that bad," Mr. Stupica said. The forecast called for lake-effect snow, but that can quickly end, he said. If the district were to close because of a forecast, "we would be closed 15 days this winter," he said.
This time, it snowed several more inches. "The snow picked up a lot after 6:30" Monday morning, he said. "Sometimes lake-effect snow is difficult to predict. The snow could stop in 10 minutes, or it could get bad again."
Buses were nearly on time both Monday and Tuesday, Mr. Stupica said. "Monday morning, the last bus to the middle school was only 10 to 15 minutes late." The lateness was caused mostly by traffic, rather than weather, he said. Going home on Monday, buses were "a little late, but not terribly," he said.
The main concern is in the morning, when children are waiting at the bus stop, he said. Besides snow, temperature and wind are also a consideration. At the end of the school day, "the kids are in a safe, warm place."
Mr. Regano was in Solon at 5 a.m. Tuesday as well to evaluate conditions. Once again, roads had been plowed and schools could open.
"The decision is always based on safety," Mr. Regano, who makes the ultimate decision on snow days, said. During his tenure, Solon has had several years without snow days and some with three or four. "If there are any questions about safety,' he said, "we're closed."
This year, the state legislature has allotted three "calamity" days, down from the five that traditionally were permitted, for closings due to "disease, epidemic, hazardous weather conditions, damage to a school building, utility failure or inoperability of school buses or other equipment."
"Any school days" exceeding the allotted number "will be made up at the end of the school year," Mr. Regano said.
However, if this winter is like previous ones, exceeding the maximum number of calamity days is unlikely. At the beginning of the decade, the district had several consecutive years in which there were no snow days. In recent years, there were two snow days last winter, one each in 2008 and 2009, and four days, including some due to extreme cold, in 2007.
For both Mr. Stupica and Mr. Regano, the decision on whether to close school often begins in the middle of the night. They talk to the Solon Police Department and service department about road conditions. Sometimes, they said they contact other districts to learn which way the storms are coming.
A decision needs to be made by 5:30 to 5:45 a.m., Mr. Stupica said.
Broadcasts at 6 a.m. and postings on the school district's website are necessary to notify parents getting ready to take their children to day care. It is also important to clear parking lots before the cars arrive at school, he said.
Both administrators said parents always have the right to keep their children home if they consider conditions unsafe.
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