Late start a new option for PLCS when it snows

(Students sled at Walnut Creek Elementary during PE class last winter)

Happy Holiday Season, PLCS! The first semester flew by and Thanksgiving is just around the corner. The Rikli Family loves the holiday season! My wife Amy and the kids put up a huge Christmas tree, lots of holiday treats are baked, and Burl Ives songs are played on a continuous loop.

The holiday season also brings the possibility of bad weather. Please know we will always make decisions that prioritize student safety above all else. I have three school-age children, and my wife and I both work outside the home. We understand sending children to school when the weather turns ugly can be scary. You always have the right as a parent to keep your children home if you feel conditions are unsafe. We know parents will make good decisions for their families.

Snow day decisions are one of the most difficult decisions we make as school leaders. We are at the mercy of road crews, fickle snow forecasts, and rapidly changing weather conditions. We take school cancellations seriously since many parents work outside the home and calling a snow day often creates hardships for parents who need daycare. We understand the need to communicate with parents as quickly as possible so they can arrange supervision for young children if school is canceled. However, we prefer making the decision the morning of the bad weather rather than canceling the evening before. Snow forecasts are notoriously difficult to predict, and we’ve had situations where we made a snow day call early, the snow didn’t arrive, and parents were frustrated that school was canceled.

The District does not have a formal policy for bad weather cancellations. In general, if we receive 4-5 inches of snow or if the sustained windchill is -25 or colder, we will likely cancel school. Timing is everything. Heavy snow predicted at 3:00 a.m. makes for an easier decision than bad weather later in the day, for example. 

I typically wake up (obscenely!) early and personally drive as many city streets and school parking lots as possible so we can have a decision by 5:00 a.m. We do have conversations with other school districts to see how the weather may impact their decisions and consult with the National Weather Service and Offutt Air Base to get the latest weather updates.

In response to last year’s difficult winter (we had seven snow days!) the District has decided to explore Late Starts. We may or may not use the Late Start protocol depending on the conditions and the timing of the weather. The information has been sent to parents and staff about possibly starting school two (2) hours late if bad weather is anticipated. 

The District has no plans for early dismissals; we are uncomfortable with the possibility of young students walking home to unsupervised homes. 

Please follow me on Twitter @AndrewRikli if you’d like to get an early jump on school closure information. 

Thanks to everyone for making PLCS such a special place and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.