MOUNT VERNON — Inclement weather has again hit the area, and while frigid temperatures are not a problem, the slushy ice prompted the closing of all schools in the area. Before deciding to close schools, superintendents and transportation supervisors carefully assess the situation, always keeping the safety of the students foremost in their minds.
School administrators pay close attention to weather forecasts, and most districts subscribe to a sort of notification service which alerts them when severe weather is predicted. Snow, ice and wind chill factors are carefully considered before any conclusion about closing is reached.
Since many of the bus routes in the area include rural areas with secondary roads, judging the conditions of the roads by the main routes is not done. Each district is comprised of more than one township, and each township plows and treats the roads at different times, so, on mornings when hazardous weather is predicted, school employees, including the transportation supervisor and often the superintendent, drive around to check the road conditions, often before 5 a.m. In the case of East Knox schools, buses start running just after 6 a.m., so the decision to close must be made before that time.
