It’s been a long, cold winter, filled with below zero wind chills and snow that just seems to keep accumulating. Not only has it been hard on all of us, but it’s been hard on the school district. Decisions to delay class start times, or even cancel school all together, are never made lightly. Eagle Grove Area School District Superintendent Jess Toliver would like you to know there are many factors that are considered in their decision.
It’s not just about buses on the road – it’s about giving bus drivers enough time to clean out their own driveways, get to the bus barn, and allow the proper time for buses to warm up.
It’s not just about getting kids to school on the bus – it’s about those kids who have to walk to school or walk to a bus stop and stand there until their bus arrives.
It’s not just about being able to get out of your own driveway, it’s about the schools having all the parking lots cleaned out so students and staff have a place to park once they get to school.
It’s not just about students coming to school, it’s about student athletes coming in early for weightlifting an hour or more before school even starts.
Toliver said you also have to consider temperatures and wind chills – besides causing frostbite, it can also affect a car's battery, leaving the possibility it won’t start at all, or maybe even stall on the way to school.
If possible, the school district will opt for a two-hour late start – making the call and getting word out to the parents preferably the day before so they are sure everyone has ample time to hear the announcement and cancel next day early-morning plans. This also allows time for streets to be cleared and temperatures to rise, if even only a little. Toliver explained that there are a couple reasons for a two-hour delay. The first is that a 10 a.m. start (school usually starts around 8 a.m., give or take a few minutes depending on the building), actually means the buses are on the road by about 8:45 a.m. I one-hour delay wouldn’t be enough time for bus drivers. On the other hand, a three-hour delay is not an option. That messes up the lunch schedules and there is no way they would be able to get all the students fed in the elementary and middle schools, which share a lunchroom. That’s why it’s always two hours if school start times are delayed.
School is completely cancelled as a very last resort.
“We don’t like to cancel school because of kids with food insecurities,” said Toliver
He gave last week as an example. School was cancelled because of wind chills on Monday and Tuesday, they got out two hours early on Wednesday (but at least lunch was served), and then Thursday and Friday were already scheduled as “no school” days. That meant in a nine-day period (counting the weekend in front and behind these days), kids who do not get regular meals at home went eight days without having a guaranteed hot meal that they can otherwise depend on getting in school or from the Backpack program. That is very concerning to Toliver and all those included in making the decision to call off school for the day.
The point Toliver wants to make is that it is no one’s desire to cancel classes. It’s not about an extra day off or the availability of online classes – it’s always about the safety of the kids. Keeping them safe is their number one priority. So the next time school is late or cancelled, you can rest assured that it was made with a lot of thought and consideration of what was best for the students.
