As the snow starts to fall in the St. Louis region, students constantly refresh the school closings list on local news websites or tune in to radio newscast. Little does the student body realize, though, that the district begins preparation for snowstorms days in advance. As soon as the forecast calls for inclement weather, offices such as the Directors of Facilities and Transportation start their preparation treatment.
“We do the obvious equipment checks to ensure our plows, spreaders and snow blowers are functioning and we make sure our salt loading equipment is ready to go,” Director of Facilites Mike Merten said.
Many districts meet with the Missouri Department of Transportation prior to the winter season to discuss road situations. Administrators discuss what preparation must occur for the well being of the student body.
The key to handling the situation successfully, according to Parkway officials, is communication from all levels of district employees. Talk between the leaders of area school districts and Parkway Transportation employees make the decision in the interest of student safety.
“Communications between administration and the ground crews is critical. Our plan is to start plowing as soon the storm has passed. We send the plow teams home to rest while the snow is falling and start plowing as soon as practical,” Mertens said.
Storms that hit during the night are the most difficult for Parkway crews to clear. The district has twelve snow plows that try to remove snow from all school parking lots and sidewalks to ensure student safety.
“The most difficult task is the actual plowing of lots and drives and snow removal from sidewalks. We don’t start snow removal until after the storm has passed,” Mertens said. “Throw in freezing rain or sleet and it makes things even more complicated.”
Often times, school districts will wait until the early morning when deciding whether to close schools. The leaders of the district examine road conditions and the struggles bus drivers could face on the roads. However, if the forecast calls for a severe storm throughout the night, the district could close all buildings the night prior.
“Typically school closings for snow or ice are not made until the morning between 3:00 AM – 5:00 AM. We have called school off the night before in the past, but it is unusual. Calling school off the night before can be a risky business especially if there is no snow on the ground,” Director of Transportation Will Rosa said.
During the most recent storm, Parkway took this risk because of the projection for extreme inclement weather. The communication between multiple other school districts ultimately pushed district leaders to cancel classes.
“During our most recent snow day closings, all indicators pointed to a very bad storm hitting St. Louis. It was the right thing to do for safety. Several other surrounding districts agree,” Rosa said.
