By Mike Rowe

Lincoln County Superintendent

Staff members closely monitor weather conditions and try to make decisions on closures and delays by 6 a.m. 

Sometimes weather forecasts indicate snow arriving later in the morning, after our morning commutes, causing the need to cancel school before the first snow flake arrives.

Let me begin by saying that we understand the decision to cancel school impacts many people in our community. 

We make the best decision, based on the information we have, keeping the safety of our students and staff at the forefront. Not only do we consider the safety of having children on school buses, we also consider the safety of our student drivers.

As always, we hope to make the decision as soon as possible, in order to give our students, their families, and our local employers ample time to adjust to the various issues caused by school cancellation.

We never want to bring children to school, then send them home early. Sending students home early, with very little warning and public communication, increases the potential for our students to arrive home with no one there waiting for them. Another safety risk we are not willing to take.

When it’s all said and done, there are times when the weather will make us look like a genius, and other times when it will make us look like a fool.  It might be tomorrow afternoon before the snow gets here, and then again, it may never get here, but when it comes to the safety of our students and staff, we are not willing to gamble.