Some districts don't wait for snow

By Tan Vinh
Seattle Times staff reporter

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Numerous school districts throughout the region yesterday decided earlier than usual to cancel classes for today.

While many districts typically wait until the morning of classes to decide, several districts — including Tacoma, Orting and Puyallup — chose not to wait. Other districts, including Seattle, said they would decide early today.

That's not what happened early yesterday, when snow began to blanket the region. Despite early warnings that roads would be hazardous and campuses blanketed with snow, many schools in Western Washington did not announce closures until one to two hours before classes were scheduled to start. The late decisions may have upset some early risers who waited for their school buses, but many school administrators and transportation directors said they followed usual protocols.

Instead of relying on weather forecasts, many school officials in Washington state send drivers out at 3 a.m. to inspect bus stops, sidewalks and roads, especially for ice, and determine whether conditions are safe.

But it didn't start snowing in Seattle and surrounding areas until about 4 a.m., so many superintendents didn't contact the Public Schools Emergency Communications System (PSECS) to call off classes until 4:30-6 a.m., according to the agency, which is a central clearinghouse for most public and private schools and colleges to post cancellation notices.

Schools closed The following public-school districts decided yesterday to cancel classes today: Snoqualmie Federal Way Fife Grapeview North Mason North Thurston Peninsula Puyallup Riverview Sumner Tacoma Tumwater For updates on closures and delays, go to www.schoolreport.org/

The Seattle School District reported its closure about 5 a.m. and was among the first in King County to do so, according to PSECS officials. Seattle school officials said the decision was made after a dozen workers drove around 100 schools because the district never depends entirely on a forecast.

"Although this was a very accurate forecast, it is one of the few times where they predicted (a snowstorm) and where it followed to the script exactly as they predicted it," said John Vacchiery, executive director of Facilities Development and Construction, who advises Seattle's superintendent on school closures.

About 5,800 students whose English skills are limited attend Seattle's public schools. The district has dozens of translators and bilingual teachers call immigrant students, who often don't have Internet access or can't get closure announcements from radio or television, according to several teachers.

Many administrators in other districts said they, too, make closure decisions carefully because schools have to make up snow days and working parents often have difficulty making child-care arrangements. "It doesn't matter what decision you make, and when you make it. There will always be people who are unhappy and think you've made the wrong decision," said Northshore School District spokeswoman Pamela Steele.

Arlington, Stanwood-Camano and Darrington districts were among the few in Western Washington to hold classes after administrators said their early morning road inspectors didn't foresee any problems.

In Arlington, administrators decided at 5 a.m. to start schools on time, and by the time snow hit the area, it was too late to reconsider, said assistant superintendent Warren Hopkins.

No major transportation problems were reported, though only half of the students came to school, administrators said. In the Stanwood-Camano district, middle- and high-school classes were dismissed one hour early, and elementary-school students were sent home 15 minutes early.

The decision to close for the day was tough for the Marysville School District, which must hold classes until mid-July because of its state-record 49-day strike. "This added another day to our school year," but the priority was safety, said Marysville spokeswoman Judy Parker.

The University of Washington canceled classes on its main Seattle campus after noon, but it kept its operations open. The campuses in Tacoma and Bothell canceled classes and suspended operations yesterday morning.

Seattle Times staff reporters Sharon Pian Chan, Peyton Whitely and Cara Solomon contributed to this report. Tan Vinh: 206-515-5656 or tvinh@seattletimes.com

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