- St. Johns Superintendent Anthony Berthiaume shares how schools come to a decision on snow days
- One big piece that Superintendent Berthiaume stresses is checking the forecast the night before to make sure students and families won't have to make the drive to school in poor conditions
- Berthiaume also says that since the county is so large by square footage, there are many factors to take into account when planning for a snow day including back and secondary roads
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
I'm your neighborhood reporter, Russell Shellberg. With more snow headed our way soon. it's important to know when and how school can be canceled. Especially so that your child isn't out waiting for the bus that won't arrive.
St. John's Superintendent Anthony Berthiaume knows the hope for a snow day can be exciting.
"So it goes from turning pajamas inside out, and then ice cubes, or my kids put spoons under their pillows, and I'm like 'What are you doing?'" said, Berthiaume.
Whether or not any of that works is really up to district leaders, who are constantly watching a potential storm.
"It starts the day before, night before, checking out the potential forecast," said, Berthiaume.
From there, it's checking the roads for any danger, including ice, snow drifts, and monitoring the timing of the snow.
"I'm not a big one on early release, so it's kind of an all-or-nothing aspect for me when we're making that decision to close school because obviously with child care situations, parents work, we want to make sure that the kids are home and have the proper supervision," said, Berthiaume
Superintendent Berthiaume also adds that the size of the county plays a big factor in the decision.
There are a lot of miles to cover in Clinton County, and many of them may not be plowed.
"It really is with those country roads, secondary roads, it could be a 24-hour difference of 'Well, you had school yesterday, but you're not having school today,'" said, Berthiaume.
Berthiaume also says that if you're watching the snow day predictor, don't get your hopes up too quickly.
"Predict all you want, but I really think it comes down to what was actually forecasted that following night, if it's going to be a storm or what's actually happening during the morning hours of our commute or after hours," said, Berthiaume.
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