- As snow and cold weather hit mid-Michigan, school leaders must decide when to call snow days to ensure student safety.
- St. Johns Superintendent Anthony Berthiaume shares how the district evaluates conditions like snow, freezing rain, wind chills, and visibility to determine closures.
- To see the interview with Superintendent Berthiaume and details on how closures are decided, watch the full video above.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
With the winter weather upon us, snow and cold will be a common theme across mid-Michigan. But when does it become enough to shut down school? I'm your St. Johns Neighborhood Reporter, Russell Shellberg, talking to officials about how they make that decision on a snow-filled or bitterly cold day.
Recently, more snow has fallen across mid-Michigan, leading to plow trucks making their routes around neighborhoods and school leaders deciding when to call a snow day.
"I start having conversations with our operations director, and then local superintendents are kind of texting back and forth," said Berthiaume.
Thursday, I sat down with St. Johns Superintendent Anthony Berthiaume to talk about snow days and how the district decides what days to call off.
"It usually starts around 4:00–4:30 AM. We have our operations manager who goes out with our mechanic and maybe another driver. We have over 203 square miles we have to cover for our district," said Berthiaume. ''
And it’s not just snow that could cause a closing. Berthiaume told me conditions like freezing rain, sustained extreme temperatures, wind chills, and even poor visibility can all be factors in a school closing. But one priority remains, safety.
"If you have to slow down, if you’re a little late to school, we’d rather have them be safe than some other situation that could come up," said Berthiaume.
Berthiaume says that if families are expecting closures in the area, the call is made by 6:00 AM, giving families time to prepare.
"It’s a decision that’s not easy, but just know we’re taking it very seriously when we’re making those calls," said Berthiaume.
READ THE SUPERINTENDENTS LETTER REGARDING SCHOOL CLOSINGS:
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