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Ohio County Schools announced Thursday evening that, due to the statewide state of emergency, school will be closed Friday.
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WHEELING - There wasn't any snowfall in the area on Wednesday, but it was very cold - and the frigid temperatures were deemed dangerous enough for Ohio County Schools Assistant Superintendent Rick Jones and other district officials to make the decision to cancel classes for the day.
The call didn't come until early morning, and Jones stresses that is an exception. He said the school district typically likes to decide early and get the message out to parents the night before so they can arrange plans if needed.
Jones on Wednesday was already reading information from the National Weather Service indicating a snowstorm would hit the area beginning early Friday morning, which could lead to an even more abbreviated school week.
The NWS, as of Wednesday afternoon, was predicting a 90% chance of snowfall to begin at 1 a.m. Friday and continue throughout the day, according to meteorologist Lee Hendricks.
"The snowfall amounts have not yet been determined," he said. "There will be some accumulation, but we're not certain yet as to how much."
Hendricks added the high temperature for the day is expected to be 29 degrees.
School also was canceled Tuesday in several counties due to snow.
School officials already are tracking the information regarding a predicted Friday snowfall, and if it will be safe to have students and staff traveling on the roads - be it the morning ride into school, or afternoon ride home.
"We look ahead as far as we can look, and as we get closer we see how accurate snowfall appears to be," Jones said.
If it is still not clear on the night before, decisions are made during the early morning hours, he continued. Maintenance crews are the first to turn out during the middle of the night when there is a snowfall, and they determine if they can have school lots cleared by the time the school day starts.
School district employees who live on the higher elevations of the county are consulted to see how weather and road conditions are in their neighborhoods. One of those consulted is Human Resources Director Susan Nolte, who lives in Clearview, Jones said.
Maintenance workers also may drive some of the roads themselves to determine the passability of buses, he continued. In the end, Jones, Superintendent Kim Miller, Operations Director David Crumm and maintenance workers confer to see if the school day needs to be delayed or outright canceled.
"We try to let people know the night before, and nine out of 10 times we can," Jones said. "We know it is difficult to change plans at 5 a.m."
But Wednesday's school closure wasn't based on snowfall but rather on wind chill. He explained that is why the decision came later. What makes the call to cancel school even trickier is when snowfall is predicted to happen during the school day after students and staff are expected to arrive.
"On Friday, it's starting to look like it's going to get worse throughout the day," Jones said. "More snow is expected during the day.
"If we get everybody to school then we get two to three inches of snow, that causes issues. The last thing we want is to have students and staff in school, then have to have them travel unsafe roads home."
Jones indicated he would rather make the decision to cancel and be incorrect than to jeopardize the safety of students and staff.
"A lot of times you're right. Sometimes you’re just wrong," he said. "I would rather err on the side of safety if we were told we were going to get a lot of snow. It's not worth the safety of students and staff if there is a good threat of bad weather. But we do hate to be wrong."