WACO, Texas (KXXV) — Some schools in our area are closed Tuesday due to the potential risk for severe colder weather.
We wanted to check-in with some schools and in our area to learn more about the decision making behind closing campuses. Officials said it’s a decision that comes from the top.
“Between the CFO and the president they actually make that final decision whether or not to send out a message to the campus community that we’re either have a late start or we’re gonna close" Shawn Kelley who is the Director of Facilities Services with Texas A&M University-Central Texas said.
However, school officials don’t make the decisions alone.
The decision to close campuses comes from looking at a variety of things to current and future forecasts, if campuses will have power and heat and are roads safe to drive on.
Ken Wolf is Midway ISD's Director of Operations and he's previously told us “on days that there is a potential for incident weather, we’ll send drivers and other staff members out on routes to check roadways.”
Schools also go beyond what’s happening around them locally.
They check in with nearby ISDs, local agencies, colleges and universities to some institutions even checking-in with Fort Canvass to see what they’re doing and get feedback from them.
Schools also take guidance from state agencies like TXDOT, the State Operations Center and the Texas Division of Emergency Management.
“Temperature is a really big factor as afar as learning. There’s a lot of studies that have been done” Alexander Villanueva who is Waco ISD's Director of Operations said.
The goal is to make sure students and staff are not only safe getting to and from campus but they are safe in the classroom and have the tools to learn and be successful.
“Missing a day of class is not worth risking anybody’s life on frozen pavement, black ice" Kelley said.
To see if your school is delayed clickhere.
