In anticipation of the ice storm that is expected to strike the metro region on Thursday, probably in the middle of the morning, school districts in and around Portland are considering canceling classes.
However, parents who were hoping to find out before bed whether school would be in session or not on Thursday might be disappointed.
The Gresham-Barlow School District spokesman, Athena Vadnais, stated that the decision will be made early tomorrow morning after considering weather projections.
On Wednesday, the Tigard-Tualatin School District sent out a mass message to parents informing them that they would be notified early on Thursday morning if there would be a delay or closure.
Many other metro-area districts also have that plan in place, especially considering how uncertain the prediction is. It is expected to snow before 10 a.m., although probably not enough to cover the bottom of the Willamette Valley. However, by midday or later in the afternoon, there is a good chance that the weather will shift to a freezing rain mix, according to meteorologists.
When schools were open past the customary midafternoon departure time in February 2023 due to an ice storm, some students were left trapped on buses for hours, deep into the night. This creates a nightmare situation for school pickup.
In order to discuss the forecast and determine whether they can make a call before the early hours of Thursday morning, ideally by 8 p.m., superintendents from all throughout Washington County will be on a late afternoon call. Hillsboro School District spokesman Beth Graser stated on Wednesday.
“A particularly concerning forecast is freezing rain beginning in the middle of the morning,” she warned. Parents rushing to pick up younger children who would otherwise be in aftercare programs, students slipping and falling on iced-over pavement on their way home, and inexperienced teen drivers on icy roads could all result from school districts splitting the difference and announcing an early release in such circumstances.
Another alternative that districts will consider is placing buses on snow routes, which brings with it a number of challenging transportation difficulties.
Central Catholic, a private high school, and the Gladstone School District both declared on Wednesday that they would open two hours later on Thursday.
According to district spokesperson Valerie Feder, Portland Public Schools bases its decision mostly on safety, which includes conferring with city of Portland transportation officials and dispatching staff to inspect road conditions.
Graser and others pointed out that there are risks associated with making the choice to cancel school early. Some parents become irate over a delayed workplace, and youngsters lose crucial time in school and other activities if the weather isn’t as bad as anticipated.
Although many districts adjust their calendars to allow for the likelihood of one or two snow days year, Oregon already has one of the shortest school years in the country. In March, when the chance of snow significantly diminishes, decisions are usually made over where to add more make-up days to the calendar.
Julia Silverman writes for The Oregonian/OregonLive about K–12 education. You can email her at [email protected].
Oregon weather
-
Portland-area agencies promise around-the-clock response if freezing rain, snow arrive
-
Portland winter weather: A timeline for when snow, sleet, freezing rain are expected to arrive
-
Multnomah County to open 6 cold weather shelters Wednesday night
