It’s 4:30 on a frigid morning. Streets are glazed, and a messy mix of freezing rain and snow is falling. Inside thousands of homes, Prince William County Public School students are slumbering with their fingers crossed, dreaming of that first snow day.

Outside, county school survey teams are already driving miles of secondary and neighborhood roads, inspecting bus stops and school parking areas to collect essential information for answering a vital question: will schools be open or closed?

Anytime the weather puts school schedules into question, the answer will focus on just one priority:

“It’s all about keeping our students, staff, and community safe,” says Transportation Director Ed Bishop, who orchestrates the complex evaluation process. “We look at multiple forecasts. We talk to state traffic officials and county police. We look at the roads, check out at least 30 schools, and inspect the places that busses and students have to safely navigate. That’s what it takes to make a good decision.”

Amid blustery, threatening weather, a minimum of five survey teams fan out in the wee hours of the morning to cover at least as many widespread parts of the county. They assess actual weather conditions and also check for additional hazards such as power outages. While many parents and students remain warm in their beds, findings are relayed to the Superintendent’s Staff. It’s still dark outside. But a well-informed decision to open, close, or delay the start of school is finalized and announced by 5:30 a.m.

“People might be shocked if they learn that schools are closed, then look out their windows and see very little ice or snow on the roads,” observes Superintendent Steven Walts. “They just need to remember that we’ll be making a call that has to keep people safe across nearly 350 square miles of our county. We won’t take chances with safety.”

This year, a text-mail notification system offers a new way to receive school closing information. When the weather looks iffy, county residents can also check for closings by visiting the School Division Web site, calling 703.791.2776, or listening to local radio and TV news.

The ice and snow will come sometime soon. Prince William County Public School staff and officials will be ready to brave the elements, check the facts, and make the tough decision. There’s also little doubt that sometime soon the schools might be closed by ice and snow that quickly melts across many areas, possibly leaving some feeling angry or inconvenienced. But Superintendent Walts makes no apology.

“Convenience takes a back seat to safety,” he says. “If we’ve protected our kids and our employees, we’ll know we’ve done the right thing. As they watch their kids playing in the snow, or the mud that follows the melting, we believe that parents will think so too.”

12/02/05