By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Near-record December highs predicted for Thursday have pushed away most thoughts of snow and ice across the region. But the winter season is still upon us. Coming out of Thanksgiving break, area school officials had to make decisions whether or not to delay or cancel classes. During Monday's USD 428 Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Khris Thexton said a new option is on the table for Great Bend public schools.
"You'll hear a lot of schools around us use a two-hour delay," he said. "A lot of times, that two-hour delay is for bus routes. They want to give a chance for plows to get out, snow to stop, get more light so the buses know where to go. For us, it's not necessarily an issue, but based on the number of snow days we had last year, you start getting to the point where you get a little nervous about having time allotted."
Students and teachers are required to spend a certain number of hours in the classroom each school year. Winter weather can throw a wrinkle into that schedule. That's one reason USD 428 officials often make the call the morning of a predicted storm.
"I've never been big on calling snow days based on a forecast," Thexton said. "I'd rather see snow flying before I know whether we're going to have it. We know how accurate those snowfall amounts can be, and how they can miss or hit."
When snow or ice has fallen overnight, Thexton, Assistant Superintendent John Popp, Maintenance Director Dirk Davis, and Director of Grounds and Transportation Cody Schmidt hit the roads at approximately 4:45 a.m. to travel predetermined routes to test driving conditions.
"A lot of the time, you know right away if you're safe to continue or just call it good," Thexton said.
Within an hour, the group has usually made a decision. If school goes on as scheduled, maintenance and lunch service crews are notified so they can begin clearing paths and preparing that day's breakfast and lunch. The district still has a calling tree so various buildings can be made aware of the decision, but technology has made the process easier. Public Information Director Andrea Bauer can release the information directly to parents and staff using various apps and through social media.
In the event of a 2-hour delay, Thexton said it will be just that. Classes set to begin at 8:05 a.m. would be moved back to 10:05 a.m., and teachers would also be expected to arrive two hours later than usual. School dismissal times would not be impacted, though the morning session at Little Panthers Preschool would be canceled in full.