By Howard Wilkinson and Maggie Downs
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Donna Schulte, Highland Heights Elementary School principal, helps students to cars after early dismissal. (Patrick Reddy photo) | ZOOM |

Kids - many of them, anyway - would call off school on the mere rumor of snow.

The people who run their schools, however, need more concrete evidence.

And, say school officials in the Tristate, they make their decisions to cancel classes, delay school openings or let students out early not on how many snow days they have used or what exams are on a school's schedule that day. The decisions are based on one consideration only - safety.

"My philosophy has always been that I'd much rather be going to school on a Saturday in June than going to a funeral on a Tuesday in February," said Sam Martin, superintendent of the Finneytown Local School District.

In most local school districts, the decision to cancel classes or delay opening is one that is made by the superintendents, after consultation with their transportation departments, facilities managers, weather forecasters, and their local township or municipal road crews.

A snow like the one that blanketed the region Thursday was a particularly difficult call for area school superintendents because of its timing.

It started unexpectedly early, hitting at the morning rush hour, and it came down so hard and steadily that many school districts - particularly those in Northern Kentucky - decided to send students home early.

In most districts, the process of making the call on a school closing or delay begins in the wee hours.

Josie Resetarits, 18, and Chevy Martin, 21, came to a hill on Section Road, Amberly Village, for some winter fun. Cincinnati State, where Ms. Martin attends, was closed. (Tony Jones photo) | ZOOM |

Mike Dawson, transportation director for Campbell County Schools and a former bus driver for the district, was up at 3:30 a.m. Thursday, watching the Weather Channel and trying to predict when the snow would arrive.

"Then, I get out and drive around and look at the roads myself," said Mr. Dawson, who lives in Alexandria.

If the snow arrived late,it would be good news, because the district's 55 regular bus routes could begin running shortly after 6 a.m. and get kids to school on time.

But the snow arrived with the buses on the road. Mr. Dawson consulted the superintendent's office, and the decision was made to take advantage of a midday lull in the snowfall and dismiss students - 11:30 a.m. for the high school and junior high, 12:30 p.m. for the elementary schools.

In the Forest Hills School District in Anderson Township, Superintendent John Patzwald was in his office Thursday afternoon, keeping his fingers crossed that the lull would be long enough for his district's bus fleet to get 8,000 students home at their normal time.

Early Thursday, Mr. Patzwald said, he made the determination that the roads were in good enough shape for the kids to get to school. Afternoon kindergarten and all after-school activities were canceled.

The state of Ohio allows school districts to use up to five "snow days" before they have to start adding instructional days at the end of the year.

That rarely happens in southwest Ohio school districts, but Mr. Patzwald said he would not hesitate to close schools, even if it means extending the school year.

"As long as I can get 8,000 students to and from school safely, that is all I worry about," Mr. Patzwald said.

Dick Camp, business manager for the Sycamore School District,agreed.

"Safety is really the only thing that matters," Mr. Camp said.

Mr. Camp said that when there is a threat of snow, he begins to assess the situation at about 2 or 3 a.m.

He lives in Mount Adams and said he can usually tell if there are going to be problems on his early-morning drive to work.

"If I can get off the hill, up I-71 and through the secondary roads in Sycamore Township, then it is probably going to be OK," he said.

In the Fairfield City School District, the snow was not particularly heavy Thursday, and the district's bus fleet had no problem getting their students to and from school, said Superintendent Robert Farrell, although afternoon kindergarten classes were canceled.

Mr. Farrell said that on a morning when there is a threat of snow, he and the district's transportation and building chiefs take to the roads and decide before 5 a.m. about holding classes. The high school begins classes at 7 a.m., he said, "so we have to make a quick decision."

In the Tristate's largest school district, Cincinnati Public Schools, about 36,000 students are bused every day, and an early decision is necessary, said CPS spokeswoman Jan Leslie.

"Parents have their work schedules to consider, day care, all sorts of considerations," Ms. Leslie said.

Most school districts avoid early dismissals because it is such a difficult task to notify parents during the day and school districts don't want to take children home only to have them be locked out.

Many private schools count on the public districts to make a decision about canceling or delaying classes. The Cincinnati Waldorf School looks to Cincinnati Public Schools. Seton and Elder High Schools in Price Hill go by the Oak Hills School District. And McAuley High School in College Hill relies on the Northwest Local School District.

"We really don't have the same man or woman power as the public districts. They have a lot of people at their disposal, so we really have faith in what they tell us," said Cheryl Sucher, principal of McAuley, an all-girls school.

Still, school administrators often take to the streets themselves.

"Today I had an errand to run that could have waited until next week or so," said Sandra Schilling, head of school at the Schilling School for Gifted Children in Forest Park. "But I did it today to get out there, to check out the road conditions and to see how that would affect the parents of our kids."

If an administrator decides to close school early, the logistics of getting students home can prove difficult.

At Elder High School, an all-boys school, and Seton, an all-girls school, their side-by-side location means that many students hitch rides together.

"A lot of our kids carpool, like siblings or friends," said Kate Menninger, public relations coordinator for Seton. "So a decision to close or delay has to be the decision of both Seton and Elder together."

For Princeton City Schools, if children are sent home early, they do so at staggered times - that makes it easier for the triple-routed buses.

"Depending on when the weather goes bad, we usually let the high school out three hours early, the middle schools 1‡ hours early, and the elementaries will leave pretty much on time," said Chris Gramke, director of communications for the schools.

Technology plays a role, too.

"The Weather Channel and the weather (Web) sites are all very popular," Mr. Gramke said.

E-mail hwilkinson@enquirer.com or mdowns@enquirer.com