You wake up not motivated to go to school on a freezing winter morning. When you look out the window you see mountains of snow covering the roads. No school, it’s a snow day! But what is the process the Parkland administration has adopted when deciding to call a snow day?

Although a snow day may mean getting to sleep in for most, the administration is up early gathering an abundance of information to come to a decision. To make this decision, they carefully consider the following demographics about the Parkland School District: 

• Weather conditions vary across the district
• The buses travel almost 8,000 miles during a school day
• There are around 1,000 bus stops
• Buses will be operating within the typical traffic flow
• Many bus stops may be affected by snow plowing
• The PSD Grounds Department will need time to plow parking lots and clear walkways. 

If snowy weather occurs during the evening or overnight, the transportation department will send out a couple of drivers at about 4 AM. These drivers test out the roads to see if they are safe enough to be driven upon and typically start at the most problematic roads. The administration must also speak with the municipalities and PennDOT about plowing, cindering, and salting schedules. Like everyone, the administration uses television, radio, and computer reports to learn about the upcoming weather. When speaking to Superintendent Dr. Madson, he acknowledged that technology helps his team stay updated regarding increasing forecasting and communication with each other. Dr. Madson also contacts other superintendents from both Lehigh and Northampton Counties to gather any additional information that may be helpful. 

Once all the necessary information is gathered and analyzed, a decision on whether it is safe to come to school is finalized by around 5:30 AM.  The final decision is then sent to families and staff by multiple means of communication. Dr. Madson stated, “I do take this very seriously.  Everyone loves a good snow day, however, it has a real impact on working families and child care needs.” The administration is always considering the safety of students and staff. So next time there’s a snow day, thank the administration for making a thorough decision, and enjoy the day off!

This article previously ran in the February print edition.