Many people believe that it is an easy decision to make when calling off school because of snow.  All around Elkhorn Public Schools, people are waiting in hopes to get school cancelled but don’t know what actually goes into the critical thinking process needed to cancel school.  Cancelling school is an important process that has to consider details like, staff and transportation ability, weather conditions the day of school, and the amount of snow overnight.  All of these details are key points on what exactly to know about when the right time is to cancel school.  This leads us to the question, how does Elkhorn Public Schools know when to call off school and not?

To begin, staff and students need to have accessible transportation to safely get to school when there are numerous amounts of snow on the ground.  This could include planning your ride ahead of time, leaving several minutes before usual to be able to get to school on time, and safety while on the roads.  Having this in mind, some parents regret sending their kids off to school knowing what could possibly be at risk.  This is important because knowing the conditions outside is crucial for how to get to school on time and safely.

When Elkhorn Public Schools decide to call off school, they look into certain factors and how it impacts people and how safe it can be.  According to the Nebraska Local News, anytime the forecast gets below freezing, many people take in the thought of the next day being spent at home.  Although, if the district were to call school off because of the weather being below zero, public schools would have a very altered school year.  Below zero temperatures are just one of the details the district takes into consideration when closing school.  Although most kids enjoy having the school day off, it can also cause constant interruptions to the school week and can make it harder for students and teachers to make up for all of the missed days.

Another factor that should be considered when calling off school is the amount of snow that the area has gotten overnight.  According to the Elkhorn Public Schools district, if weather conditions exist that would jeopardize the safety of students coming into school, school will either be cancelled for the day or will start at a later time.  This shows that if severe weather were to strike, the district would make the decision to call off school or have a late start.  At times in Elkhorn, winter will require school to be closed off due to unsafe travel conditions or the excessive amounts of snow.

In all, the Elkhorn Public Schools district takes the accountability of students very seriously and makes decisions on what is best for the students and staff.  As the process might seem simple, there are a lot of things needed to look into and requirements held to make sure it is okay to call off school.  Because of staff and transportation ability, weather conditions the day of school, and the amount of snow received, all lead into the reasons on how the district makes its decisions on what the right choice is.