Cherokee County Schools were closed on Feb. 19 during a snowstorm that left several inches of frozen precipitation on the ground throughout the area.
Most of the snow was gone that evening. That wasn’t a problem.
The problem came the next day, following a bitterly cold night and snow flurries that morning that caught school officials off guard and left many parents furious.
After evaluating road conditions, a decision was made at about 5 a.m. Thursday to implement a two-hour delay, as a couple of roads required salting, Superintendent Keevin Woody said.
“However, after this decision, a sudden snow burst occurred. Although some buses had already begun their routes, the worsening conditions posed safety concerns,” he said. “To ensure the safety of students, bus drivers, student drivers, staff and other motorists, the decision was made to cancel school for the day.”
After a morning snowfall on Feb. 18 blanketed the county, most of the snow was gone by that afternoon. However, the National Weather Service in Morristown, Tenn., expected more to come.
“Additional light snowfall (outside of the flurries still ongoing) is expected really late overnight into tomorrow morning, with flurries expected thereafter for Thursday,” the National Weather Service posted on social media.
“Thursday is frigid, with temperatures subfreezing area wide and very cold ‘feels like’ temperatures into the single digits for most. Friday morning is also expected to be frigid, before we begin our warming trend.”
The snowfall map included Hanging Dog, Hiwassee Dam and Unaka along with parts of north and northwest Cherokee County. By Thursday morning, snow was falling and sticking in a much broader area including Andrews, Marble and other more southerly and easterly locations in the county.
The two-hour delay was announced at 5 a.m. The decision to close schools Thursday came at about 8:15 a.m. – but by then, buses were on the road and many parents, teachers and staff were as well.
The process
Determining a school delay or closure requires coordination among multiple individuals and agencies, according to Cherokee County Schools. Monitoring and preparation for potential inclement weather begin several days in advance.
When inclement weather is forecasted, road conditions are assessed by a school team in collaboration with the N.C. Department of Transportation, school resource officers, the sheriff’s office and other relevant entities.
If a closure or delay has not been decided the night before, road conditions are reassessed starting around 3:30 a.m. on the morning in question. Based on these assessments, a final decision is typically made by about 5 a.m., according to Cherokee County Schools.
Responses
Parents and others affected by Thursday morning’s school decisions took to social media with criticism of the situation.
Hiwassee Dam resident John Midkiff, a former candidate for county commissioner, said Cherokee County Schools needs to revise its policies.
“After dealing with a 5 a.m. notification on two-hour school delay and then at 8 a.m. a notification that school was closed, I put together a letter with action plans,” he said.
Midkiff said weather-related decisions need to be made the night before when severe weather is forecasted.
Expressing “grave concern over the district’s delayed decision-making process regarding weather-related school closures,” he said, “the current practice of waiting until morning to make these determinations puts our staff members in unnecessary danger.
“Bus drivers, cafeteria workers and teachers are already on treacherous roads by the time these last-minute decisions are announced. This is not just inconvenient – it is dangerous and potentially negligent. Our neighboring districts, including Clay County and Tri-County (Community College), demonstrated better judgment by calling for a two-hour delay the night before, allowing their staff to plan accordingly.
“It is particularly troubling that while our dedicated staff members risk their safety on hazardous roads, the superintendent, who has shown limited investment in our community, ‘makes up his mind in the morning.’ This casual approach to staff safety is unacceptable. We cannot wait until someone gets injured before addressing this serious administrative failure,” Midkiff added.
School board member Jeff Tatham responded to the criticisms.
“I understand the frustrations and concerns of parents and employees,” he said. “My main concern is for the safety of our students, their families and our employees (including bus drivers) on the roads in dangerous weather.
“These decisions are never easy, but we should always err on the side of caution,” Tatham added. “Currently policy is not very specific in this area, so these decisions are made by the superintendent. The BOE (board of education) probably needs to revisit these policies to make sure that we are doing all we can to keep people safe.”