Jan 4, 2018 6 min read

Frustrating. Part of the job they all dread. Not an exact science.

Those are all ways that local school superintendents describe the decision about whether to call for a delay in school start time because of sub-freezing temperatures and wind chills. All over Southwestern Pennsylvania this week, districts have been delaying school for a few hours as wind chills sank below zero. Today may be even colder, with a projected wind chill factor in the minus 20 range.

School officials know a lot of parents don’t like them. And to be honest, they don’t really like them either because it’s time students are not spending in the classroom.

“It’s a balancing act between student and staff safety and education,” Avella Superintendent Cyril Walther said.

Working parents are often left trying to make alternate plans to get their children to the bus stop or school when the start of classes is delayed.

Marci Zaunick, a Canon-McMillan School District mom, said she does not see much benefit to a two-hour delay due to low temperatures, especially if there is not much fluctuation.

“It’s a mixed bag for me. I have the luxury of working from home, with an incredibly flexible schedule, so I’m not incredibly adversely affected,” she said. “I know many families that are adversely affected by such delays.”

So how exactly is the decision made to delay or cancel school? The process is similar in area districts – and it all starts the day before a potential delay or cancellation.

Washington School District Superintendent James Konrad and other superintendents said they try to make the decision the night before if weather conditions allow.

“The quicker I can make a decision, the better it is going to be for families,” Konrad said.

He said he watches the weather forecast on all of the Pittsburgh television stations and communicates with other superintendents in the area about their forecasts and plans.

Konrad also works with his transportation director and Washington County officials to check on road conditions. Since he started as superintendent, Konrad said getting buses started and warmed up has not been a reason for a delay.

Ultimately, his decision is based on the safety of students, Konrad said. All Washington students in seventh through 12th grades walk to school, with some walking as long as 25 to 30 minutes. Younger students can be at a bus stop for a while, he said.

“My No. 1 goal is to make sure my kids get to school on time and safe and secure,” he said.

Walther’s procedures in a more rural district are similar. He doesn’t want students stuck on buses when it is dangerously cold.

In addition to watching the Pittsburgh television stations, Walther also watches the Weather Channel and checks a few weather apps to see what the predictions will be for the next morning. He’s in contact with county road crews and district employees, who start at 5 a.m., checking on roads and district buildings to make sure the heat works and there are no broken pipes.

“The goal is not to disrupt the schedule for students or staff or parents,” he said.

In the past, busing has occasionally been a reason for a delay, he said. The concern is not getting buses started since they are plugged into a block heater in the bus garage.

“But if a bus were to stall on the road in weather this cold, it can be difficult to restart,” he said, adding students would then be on a bus without heat.

Walther typically calls a delay if the wind chill will be below zero. But, he said, it’s frustrating if the wind chill will be below zero but remain the same all morning. The hope is that as daylight comes, perhaps it will get a few degrees warmer.

“You try to do the best you can,” he said.

Greene County superintendents try to make a decision for all districts in the county, said Carmichaels Superintendent John Menhart. He said they also try to decide the night before in order to help working parents make plans.

Earlier this week, three districts had to cancel school because the bus fuel lines were freezing up as they were driving to get students, Menhart said. Bus drivers for Carmichaels started a little later so they did not have that problem. His district had a two-hour delay, he said.

Menhart said he does not have an absolute temperature for when he will call a delay because of wind chill.

“We just do what we feel is safest for kids,” he said, adding some students came to school this week in shorts and without coats. “It’s easy to say that parents should dress kids warmer, but that does not always happen. We have to judge what is best and safest for kids. I try to treat everyone else’s child like I would want mine to be treated.”

Peters Township School District spokeswoman Shelly Belcher said since the district knew cold temperatures were coming this week, staff members walked through all schools Monday to make sure there were no issues after the holiday break.

“Our transportation people also came in and started every last bus to make sure that they would start. We don’t want students waiting outside any longer than necessary in the cold,” she said. “We also have buses on standby on cold mornings in the event of any last-minute issues.”

Peters also looks closely at predictions, she said. On Tuesday, temperatures were not predicted to change much over a two-hour time period so there was no benefit to students for a delay, she said.

But predictions for Wednesday indicated temperatures would rise quickly in the morning.

“Knowing that those two hours would make a difference, we delayed (Wednesday),” she said.

While some parents are OK with the delays, others are frustrated by them.

Bethel Park mom Danielle Gosnell said it’s a real hassle for working parents when there is a delay.

“We count on our kids going to school and when they don’t it disrupts our workday,” she said. “Some parents cannot come and go into work as they please so I can imagine some kids are being left unattended during this time.”

Gosnell said she understands delays for icy conditions when roads are dangerous.

“I would hope parents have enough common sense to add a few layers when it’s cold out to prevent their child from getting too cold waiting for a bus. The buses are always on time, and you never have to wait more than five minutes,” adding parents of walkers can drive them if they think it’s too cold to walk.

Canon-McMillan mom Kristi Oram is frustrated by so many late starts for education reasons. Her oldest son is in the kindergarten extension program.

“The afternoon program offers him the environment he needs to thrive and learn,” she said. On days with delays, he does not do the extension program.

“Why is my 6-year-old punished for cold weather? We live in Pittsburgh, Pa. It’s winter and it gets cold here,” she said.