What factors go into schools calling a snow day?

Central Ohio school closings

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- There's nothing like the excitement and anticipation of rolling out of bed, rushing to the TV and waiting, hoping to see your school on the rolling list of snow closures and delays.

Central Ohio school districts are scheduled to return this week amid winter weather, and students across the area will be checking to see if their winter breaks are extended. Local school districts said safety is the number one concern when determining if there will be a snow day.

Under Ohio law, schools have a set number of hours they must be in session for: 910 hours for students in grades one through six, and 1,001 hours for students in grades seven through 12. According to local school districts, only superintendents are legally allowed to close schools for weather.

New Albany-Plain Communications Director Patrick Gallaway said decision making starts early when there are weather concerns. He said the district superintendent and transportation coordinator connect about conditions around 3 a.m., and that they physically go drive through the district to help make their decision.

"For me it becomes a game of dominoes eventually, once some of the big districts call it a lot of others start to go as well," Gallaway said.

South-Western City Schools is the second-largest district in the area, and Executive Director of Communications Evan Debo said the size of the district complicates weather cancellations.

"While some of our neighboring districts are almost exclusively rural or suburban, SWCSD is uniquely made up of nine different zip codes that encompass both suburban and rural settings that impact morning commutes for students, staff and families," Debo said. "Based on the size of our district, different schools may see different conditions based on where they are located which further impacts our evaluation of conditions."

Spanning 119 square miles, SWCSD leaders consider road conditions, weather projections, building and property conditions, temperature and wind chill when debating closures, Debo said. SWCSD, like Columbus City Schools, tries to release their decision before 5:30 a.m.

Executive Director of Communications and Outreach for Reynoldsburg City Schools Valerie Wunder said Reynoldsburg schools discuss closures with other districts, but the final decision is routed in bus routes and safe transportation. Gallaway said New Albany-Plain Superintendent Michael Sawyers also checks in with the superintendents of neighboring districts to see what they may be planning.

Most central Ohio districts bus their students and rely on conversations with their transportation staff to make safe closure decisions. Westerville City Schools Executive Director of Communications Melanie Amato said although Westerville does not base decisions on closures on the actions of neighboring districts, other schools in the area may have to close if Westerville chooses too, as some nearby districts rely on Westerville busing services.

Grandview Heights and Bexley do not bus their students to school, so their decisions are not reliant on school bus accessibility. Bexley Public Information Officer Carol Taylor said a primary consideration for Bexley is the many students who walk to school, and Bexley policy generally closes schools when the weather is -15 degrees Fahrenheit or hits a sustained wind chill of-22 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.

Whitehall Director of Communications Amanda Isenberg said although there are lots of factors to consider in terms of closing schools, its also important to think of what school closures can mean outside of education. Isenberg said schools provide warmth, safety, meals, supervision and structure for families, which may be compromised or difficult for families when faced with a sudden change in schedule.