SNOW DAYS!

This has certainly been an extraordinary winter for us all and it's only half over!  While no decision regarding the closing of school is ever take casually, some parents have asked how that decision is made.  The first thing you should know is that this is not a decision made by any single individual.  Our cluster, Knowlton, Frelinghuysen, Blairstown and North Warren Regional all communicate with each other before a collective decision is made.  We do his because we share some transportation contracts with the same buses, and because the state, through the county office, insists we share services and cooperate with each other.  Typically, our superintendent conversations take place the evening before a known weather event, with contact made with the state and local police and local departments of public works.  This information is collated and discussed by all four superintendents.  Other area superintendents are often consulted as well, typically Allamuchy, Hacketstown, Belvidere, etc.  Only on rare occasions is a decision made the evening before as there have been many times where conditions improve or worsen overnight.  And as we all know, weather forecasts are not always accurate.  Any evening decision is always made prior to 9 p.m.  Conditions are reviewed again in the morning, beginning with our phone calls at 5 a.m.  I am always up by 4 a.m. checking the forecast and driving the local roads, if necessary, since both the superintendents of Knowlton and Frelinghuysen live far away.  Even though the main roads may be passable and our parking lots and sidwalks clear, we must consider our hilly and narrow back roads and lanes in our considerations.  Once a collective decision is made, calls are made to One Call Now System and the 554 notification calls begin.  So, as you can see, this is not a decision that is made without due consideration for the safety of our children and staff.  I am hopeful that though winter is far from over, we will escape any more snow days which interrupt the continuity of instruction!