Much to the delight of students and despair of parents, this school year there have already been more than seven snow days and delays. With another potential storm next week, what most students don’t know is exactly how LCPS comes to decide which days to call.
Kevin Lewis, the Chief Operations Officer for Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS), plays a major role in deciding whether school should be cancelled. Lewis leads what he calls the “snow team” who work on recommendations for school cancellation due to cold weather conditions. The composition of the snow team varies but includes the leadership team of Facilities Operations and Transportation.
The snow team works regularly with the National Weather Service, who have a station located in Loudoun County. In the event that snow is predicted in the forecast, they work with the Virginia Department of Transportation or VDOT on sending special vehicles to apply a salt mixture known as pre-treatment to public roads to prevent snow and ice build up.
After snow has been predicted by the National Weather Service, it’s important to predict if the snow will even stick onto the ground. Lewis said that he and his snow team study the temperatures of road pavement several days before snow even falls. To do so, they use special infrared temperature gauges they have with them when surveying the county roads.
Lewis and his team also work to clear snow and ice from school campuses, but ice is very difficult to remove and some will remain on sidewalks and streets. Lewis said that “part of the judgment is how much ice is too much, how much is safe and how much is not.”
Lewis also explained that input from students and parents affect their decisions. Using the “Let’s Talk” feature found in the transportation section on the LCPS webpage, parents have sent pictures in the past showing the conditions of their roads. Lewis said, “It’s always very helpful to us [because] we can’t travel through every street in the county.”
If the need for school closure is unsure, Lewis and his team get up as early as 2am to observe the state of the roads after snow has fallen. By 4am they get into a conference call where his team gives their recommendations. Lewis then gathers all of this information and gives Superintendent Dr. Aaron Spence his recommendation by 4:30am. Ultimately, the Superintendent makes the final decision whether school closure is necessary by 5am.
It’s important that this decision is made on time or earlier so that the LCPS communications can notify radio stations, send out emails, texts, and calls to households to let them know if school closure or a 2-hour delay is in effect.
Lewis said, “It’s not a set rule, but our goal is to make decisions before the 6 o’clock or 7 o’clock news so folks can get that in, especially for families with little kids.” He also explained that school closure is a difficult call to make since it impacts families in many different ways, especially because things may not always pan out as predicted.
