CACHE COUNTY, Utah — Parents and teachers were outraged Wednesday morning when a school district decided to proceed with a normal school day, despite several inches of snow that made traveling treacherous.
The Cache County School District posted on social media just after 7:30 a.m., saying schools would operate on a regular schedule despite the weather.
"During adverse weather conditions, we encourage parents to make attendance decisions for their children based on their specific ability to get to school safely," the post reads in part. "Tardies or absences will not count against students."
The decision to have a normal school day came as Cache County was hammered with multiple inches of snow, which blanketed roads.
Parents, teachers and staff were shocked by the decision, saying the district should have called for a late-start day or canceled school altogether.
"My kids' bus still hasn’t got to the stop 50 minutes late!" One parent wrote in part on the social media post. "The bus is stuck sideways on a road. I am now taking kids to school, whoever made this choice, should be fired."
Hundreds of comments flooded the district's social media page, questioning the decision.
"While I fully support the school district usually, this was not a good call today," a parent wrote. "Parents can make decisions for their kids, but they can’t make decisions for teachers and staff...High school students have tests and things they have to be at school for they’re the most vulnerable drivers. A delay start really should have happened today."
"That’s crazy with the amount of wrecks out there and roads not cleared. Not safe at all," another parent commented. "[In] some parts the snow is just packed down so much it’s straight ice. Some buses can’t even make it up the roads they are assigned."
"Ridiculous. There should have been at least a 2-hour delay," one comment reads. "No roads in Smithfield were even plowed. Kids were walking down the middle of the road in tire tracks to avoid the sidewalks that hadn't been shoveled. Not safe at all. Cache County School District you should have done better today."
Families also questioned how the district planned on getting students back home as snowy weather is forecasted to linger throughout the day.
"My question is now that the decision was made and they are at school - how do they plan on getting them home safely?" one parent asked. "It doesn’t look to be slowing down any until school is all but out."
Later Wednesday, the district updated their social media post, saying they made the wrong call in scheduling.
"Today, we made the wrong call," the update reads. "Based on the conditions, we realize schools should have at least had a late start. The safety of our students and staff is very important to us and we will be doing a thorough review of our processes to determine how we can continue to improve."
Additionally, the district released a full statement to FOX 13 News that gave further background about the situation.
"As a large district that covers both the northern and southern ends of Cache Valley, making the decision to delay or cancel school can be a complicated and difficult judgment call to make. A team from the CCSD Transportation Department monitors weather forecasts and current conditions, as well as consulting with UDOT, county road crews, and local communities. They take into consideration snow accumulations, temperature, visibility, winds, and road conditions, both before and during inclement weather. Based on the information they gather, a recommendation is made to the Superintendent’s Office, which makes the final call. A decision to delay or cancel school must be made by 5:30 a.m. in order to notify bus drivers, parents, teachers, and students before transportation starts," the statement reads.
"This morning, the decision to hold a regular school day was made based on an assessment of conditions and roads at 5:30 a.m. As the morning continued, it became apparent that the weather warranted at least a delayed start," the statement continues. "However, at that point, buses were on the roads, and staff and students were already on their way to school. An apology was issued to our community, with a commitment to review our processes and determine how we can improve. We will continue to strive to make the best decisions possible to keep our students, families, and staff safe in inclement weather."
