Deciding when weather conditions warrant school closures is one of the considerations school superintendents face each winter. But Lake Central Superintendent Dr. Larry Veracco says there are set criteria to guide those decisions.
He told the school board Monday that when it comes to wind chills, local superintendents have typically set the threshold at -20. "This is a difficult one," Veracco acknowledged. "We do worry about our youngest kids not having a scarf or not covering up, and at the really cold temperatures, there's a chance to get skin irritation rather quickly."
As for snow and ice, Veracco said he wants to see road conditions before making a decision. He said he gets input from bus drivers, the transportation director and, sometimes, local police.
"If they're already seeing accidents, then that's a good indication that we may want to pause," Veracco told board members.
Veracco said two-hour delays can be helpful during a snow storm but not as much for wind chills.
If a snow storm arrives during the school day, he said Lake Central is unlikely to send students home early, although the high school may begin dismissal a few minutes ahead of schedule. "Our biggest concern is, once we have our youngest kids at school, we don't want to take them home on a bus and drop them and they go into an empty house," Veracco explained.
Veracco said he monitors weather forecasts from multiple sources. He said delaying or canceling school isn't an exact science, but school leaders' goal is to keep students safe.
