The Decision to Close School for Inclement Weather

It's a decision Jefferson County School officials don't take lightly...whether to close schools due to winter weather...

There are times the call is right, and times it is wrong, but we believe it is best to err on the side of caution.  Jefferson County Schools will be closed on Monday, January 11, 2010, but did you ever wonder how the decision to close or dismiss schools early is made?

The school system is in contact with several sources locally and even has boots on the ground in the morning hours. Weather maps, TDOT, and predictions from local meteorologists and the national weather service are all resources that are utilized.

The Director of Facilities, Bill Nolen, and the Transportation Supervisor, Ken Thornhill, drive around the county and are familiar with areas that are often treacherous in bad weather. The transportation department also has community contacts who help make the determination to cancel school or to dismiss early.

Because our buses begin their routes about 6:00 a.m., a decision is made as soon as practical so parents and guardians have as much time as possible to make arrangements. We know that many of our parents work, and some commute, therefore we work toward making a timely decision.

We offer bus service throughout the county. If parents of high school students are uncomfortable letting their child drive when winter weather threatens, riding the school bus is an option.

When it is necessary to dismiss schools early due to inclement weather, we err on the side of caution. It is important for parents to be alert to the possibility of early dismissal on school days. Once a determination is made it is posted on our website (http://jc-schools.net) as well as local media and news websites (http://wate.com and http://wbir.com).

Each year snow days are built into the school calendar. This school year, we utilized two of these days for flu in the fall, which left six days as of January 1, 2010. As of January 11, 2010, there are only three remaining built-in snow days. If those days are exceeded, we may first use the two days in February that are built in for winter break. If more snow days are necessary, we must make further calendar adjustments, which could result in having school during some of the scheduled spring break days in March.

Regardless of the decision that is made due to inclement weather, we realize that we cannot please everyone, but our primary concern is always the safety of our students.