Go, delay or cancel? VCSC discusses its bad-weather decision making

Jan. 16—Vigo County School Corp. administrators Tom Balitewicz and John Newport were out driving the highways and byways at 4 a.m. Tuesday as they assessed whether it was safe for school buses, students and staff to go to school.

Soon after, the district's "snowbirds" — bus drivers who take their buses out in various areas of the county — also judged whether buses could safely maneuver hills and stop signs.

The district had already announced a two-hour delay by 6:15 the night before, and officials determined it remained safe to proceed with the two-hour delay Tuesday, despite single-digit temperatures and below-zero windchills.

Late last year, the district published its guidelines for school delays and closings due to inclement weather, which is on the VCSC website.

"Weather conditions are both variable and potentially extreme in central Indiana; the safety of students will guide decisions regarding delaying or closing," the guidelines state.

A key factor is whether VCSC buses can safely transport students, said Balitewicz, assistant superintendent for student services.

"We transport over 8,000 students each day," he said when meeting with reporters at the transportation office. "We want to make sure those buses are safe to travel on our roads."

As far as students driving to school, "It's always a parental and family decision whether or not to allow your child to drive to school," Balitewicz said.

If the decision is to stay home, a parent would have to call the school and it would be considered an excused absence, he stated previously.

In making a decision about whether to delay or cancel classes, the district looks at several data points, including weather-related variables such as wind chill, temperature, snow, ice, etc.

The district consults with local meteorologists, the National Weather Service and a service that it subscribes to.

On Monday night, predicted wind chills ranged from minus 10 to minus 20 for Tuesday morning.

"We always want to strive to make a decision before people go to bed" the night before, Balitewicz said. "That is extremely important to us. We recognize that families have decisions to make and they have to find child care in the morning."

But changing weather conditions may mean a different decision the next morning.

After district officials look at the information collected, a recommendation is made to the superintendent, who makes the decision on whether to delay or cancel school, Balitewicz said.

Another factor the district considers is that some students depend on coming to school for breakfast and lunch, and school provides them with a safe, warm place to spend the day, Balitewicz said.

John Newport, chief operating officer for facilities and transportation, said his office does much advance planning in anticipation of inclement weather. Last week, they began making plans and backup plans, aware of what weather forecasts were showing.

On Monday, drivers began checking their buses and some would not start, so a team of mechanics went throughout the county helping jumpstart several buses.

Mechanics were out again early Tuesday morning to ensure all 116 buses started by 8 a.m.

Before 5 a.m., 12 plow trucks and three salt trucks were out to prepare facilities for the school day.

Throughout the weekend, HVAC staff were on call and onsite checking buildings and making sure boilers were running to provide heat. The district has about 86 boilers in its buildings, Newport said.

Balitewicz noted that a law passed in 2022 limits school districts to three asynchronous elearning days — days when over half of instructional time is virtual and self-paced.

The district is using one of those days for the total solar eclipse on April 8.

Anything beyond two days of weather-related school closings would require a waiver from the state; otherwise, those days must be made up.

Sue Loughlin can be reached at 812-231-4235 or at sue.loughlin@tribstar.com Follow Sue on Twitter @TribStarSue