As you know, this morning’s weather created a great deal of disruption to the day. We apologize for any added stress or angst that the decision to delay, and then close school, may have caused.
The District followed our standard protocol in making this decision. Specifically, we drove on the roads this morning around 4:00 am and communicated with some of the towns within the District’s borders. Based on the information we had as of 4:30 am, we determined that we could safely open school on time.
This decision was based on the fact that the roads were in good condition, the temperature forecast was in our favor and the communication from our towns was that we should be fine. Unfortunately, shortly after the buses departed for pick-up, the roads unexpectedly and quickly began to ice over due to a sudden decrease in the temperature that was not in forecast. This change in conditions was reported by both our drivers who were on the roads and the towns. We then made the decision to have the drivers finish their runs and to delay two hours so we did not put the buses back on the road to pick up elementary school students.
During the delay, we were unable to get any confirmation that the road conditions improved so we were not comfortable putting the buses back on the road so quickly after pulling them off, which led to the decision to close.
The District thanks our wonderful transportation department for their dedication and commitment. They navigated these extremely challenging conditions like the high quality professionals that they are. The District also thanks the dedicated staff at AMS and APHS for taking such great care of the students who were brought to school. They fed the students and made them feel comfortable during this uncertain time.
As a District, we strive to communicate with our community in an open and transparent manner so we wanted to explain the circumstances around this morning’s decisions. As always, the safety of our students and staff is the top priority.
Again, we apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.