The snowstorm that weather forecasters have been talking about for days has finally arrived. Now Londonderry Superintendent Nate Greenberg must decide - open as usual, cancel school or delay the start?
He climbs from bed at 4:30 a.m., an hour earlier than usual, facing a 5:30 decision deadline.
Coffee cup in hand, his first stop is his deck to see what the morning has delivered. Whiteout conditions? Flurries? Freezing rain? Next, it's the driveway and road for further study.
A superintendent's school cancellation decision influences parents' work plans, children's safety, and of course, hundreds of students desperately hoping for a day off. With the stakes so high, officials strive for thorough deliberation even when a storm's timing makes that all but impossible.
Area superintendents say they tend to adhere to the same rules of thumb: gather information early and err on the side of caution. They also want to know what their counterparts in neighboring districts are thinking.
Before decision time, Salem Superintendent Michael Delahanty places a call to Windham's superintendent, who has already talked to Hudson, to find out if they have any information that he doesn't.
He climbs from bed at 4:30 a.m., an hour earlier than usual, facing a 5:30 decision deadline.
Coffee cup in hand, his first stop is his deck to see what the morning has delivered. Whiteout conditions? Flurries? Freezing rain? Next, it's the driveway and road for further study.
A superintendent's school cancellation decision influences parents' work plans, children's safety, and of course, hundreds of students desperately hoping for a day off. With the stakes so high, officials strive for thorough deliberation even when a storm's timing makes that all but impossible.
Area superintendents say they tend to adhere to the same rules of thumb: gather information early and err on the side of caution. They also want to know what their counterparts in neighboring districts are thinking.
Before decision time, Salem Superintendent Michael Delahanty places a call to Windham's superintendent, who has already talked to Hudson, to find out if they have any information that he doesn't.
Greenberg also confers with neighboring superintendents and tries to find out the conditions elsewhere, since many Londonderry teachers travel to work from out-of-town.
Ultimately, Greenberg says, with any decision to open or close school, or delay the start, "Timing is the whole issue."
It's less difficult when the snow starts flying at 10 the night before school, but far more difficult when the storm is forecast to start at 9 a.m.
"The last thing you want to do is send kids home (from school) early," Greenberg said. "With elementary school kids, you may be sending them home to an empty home."
Delahanty says people would be surprised to know how involved the decision-making process is for snow days.
The work starts the day and night before, monitoring forecasts and consulting with experts.
Both Salem and Londonderry contract and consult with Precision Weather Service out of Maine, which specializes in custom weather forecasting.
On the morning a decision is due, both superintendents have in place plans for themselves and their assistants to gather information from their bus companies, local public works departments, and the school maintenance department.
But in the end, the decision is the superintendent's to make, so they also rely on their observations.
Delahanty will check out the driving conditions himself if he's still not clear on what to do after all of his inquiries.
"I'll get in my car and drive the six or seven miles to Salem (from his home in Hampstead)," he said.
He tries to decide on whether to cancel by 5 a.m.
"It affects thousands of people," Delahanty said. "And I try to be as thorough as possible." About 5,300 students attend Salem public schools.
Make a decision and stick with it
Student safety is always paramount to the decision to cancel school.
The Timberlane Regional School District does not contract with a weather service. Instead Superintendent Douglas McDonald relies on the expertise of its bus company, which confers with departments of public works and police in the four towns served by the district.
The weather can vary greatly in the northern towns of Danville and Sandown versus the weather in Atkinson and Plaistow. And the main thing is for bus companies to be able to serve all the towns, the superintendent said.
After a decision is made, superintendents hold their breath, hoping their decision was correct.
"There have been times about 10 in the morning when people think, 'What was he thinking?'" after a forecast for a raging storm fizzled after school had already been called off for the day, McDonald said.
Greenberg says, "You keep your fingers crossed that you made the right call." You also hope not to discover that you are the only district to have canceled or opened school, he said.
When the call is to cancel school, the superintendent and assistants make it known, telling the district's bus company and television and radio stations, as well as the person in charge of the district's Web site.
Greenberg also activates a "snow chain," calling school principals, who in turn call three or four staff members, who call three or four more staff members.
In a typical year, school districts cancel about three school days, which are made up in June to fulfill the required 180 days per school year. Superintendents also have the option to schedule a delayed opening, usually 90 minutes.
The decision to open or close school on a snowy day can be unpopular, although superintendents say that's not something they typically take into account.
Londonderry mom Ola Lessard says sometimes, "I look at a snow day and (think), 'Oh boy, come on.' ... On the other hand I'd hate to see a bus slide off the road."
A canceled school day is less of a problem for her than others because she works from her home and can take care of the children there. For other parents, missing a day of work can be a major problem.
"I've known people who have lived in fear because what are you going to do, leave your 6-year-old at home alone?"
It's not always snow or ice that precipitates a cancellation.
Londonderry and Salem both canceled days last spring due to flooding. Greenberg even called a day off due to extreme cold a few years ago.
Like every schoolchild, most superintendents also looked forward to snow as youngsters. Whether it was a young Michael Delahanty in Millinocket, Maine, or Nate Greenberg attending PS 48 in Brooklyn, N.Y., they always wanted the day off from school.
"Oh, are you kidding? Especially when I hadn't done my homework," Greenberg said.
