JEROME, Idaho — Have you ever wondered what it takes to go from a forecast to an official snow day?
Magic Valley neighborhood reporter Joey Martin checked in with two of the major decision-makers to see what it takes to cancel school because of mother nature's winter moods.
- For most Magic Valley students, a snow day calls for celebration and relaxation.
- For Mid Columbia Bus Company, the process of calling a snow day starts early in the morning.
- Typically, it takes extreme conditions to declare a full district-wide snow day.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)
"Weather can be quite volatile here in the Magic Valley, as we all know, so we want to make the right decision," said Brent Johnson, Superintendent for the Jerome School District.
For most Magic Valley students, a snow day calls for celebration and relaxation, but what about the bus drivers? Do they feel that same winter wonder magic?
"No, they're not too excited usually because they're the ones coming in and saying, 'Why are we driving on this?', but they're great, they get here, they show up early and they're getting their buses prepped and prepared so that if they do got to go out, we're all ready to go,” said Johna Helmer, Assistant Location Manager for Mid-Columbia Bus Company.
For Mid-Columbia Bus Company, which oversees private contracts with multiple Twin Falls and Jerome County school districts, the process of calling a snow day starts with them and an early morning wake-up call.
"If we know there is going to be a snow day we're definitely up very early. Here in the Twin area, we are driving all the roads, and we have people in all of our more remote locations that will go out and drive on the roads,” said Helmer.
From there, the boots (or wheels) on the ground notify school superintendents.
"Initially they are usually the ones that make the full decision on whether we go to school or not. But we really do have a say if we think it's going to put our drivers in jeopardy,” said Helmer.
Over at the Jerome School District, they rely on reports from North-Side Bus Company.
"After they do all that, and do some driving around they'll give us a call and says 'Here's our recommendation for the day, here's what we're thinking and why' and then we can make our decision on a late start, early release or having the days off for the safety-pinned of all our staff and students,” said Johnson.
From there It's time to notify parents and students, via local media and with updates online. Or sent via text and email.
While most students live in densely populated communities, it's Idaho's rural roads that ultimately have the biggest impact on a snow day decision.
“In town, it may be pretty traversable but if you have three- and four-foot snow drifts of blowing snow, it's a major consideration for us on whether we have school or not,” said Johnson.
Typically, it takes extreme conditions to actually declare a full district-wide snow day.
Officials say it's important for drivers to obey all traffic laws when approaching and encountering school buses on Idaho roadways, both rural and urban, as conditions are always changing in the early morning.
