Although we just get a simple email informing us of a schedule change due to winter weather, a little-known intensive process precedes this email. The goal is to ensure student and staff safety. After speaking with the superintendent, Andrew Stephens, I better understand and can shine a light on the process of making these decisions, which requires a well-organized system involving Dr. Stephens, many Sudbury officials, the LS facilities staff, and Lincoln and Sudbury school administrators.
Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School may seem large, but when it comes to logistics like these, we benefit from being simple in comparison to other districts which have numerous schools and more complex transportation routes and schedules. Dr. Stephens shared, “We have the luxury of not being that big to be more timely with what’s on the road.” As logistics are less complex, Dr. Stephens can make weather-based safety decisions in the morning. This agility makes decisions more accurate based on current weather, conditions, and recent forecasts. Although it may seem like schools should always make a morning decision, this has downsides, too. “I was up at 3:30 in the morning … we have to decide by 5:30 in the morning,” stated Dr. Stephens, speaking about our last snow day. He mentioned that waking up early and spending a couple of stressful hours making a decision is typical for this process.
Localized forecasting is a necessary first resource for this decision-making process, as it provides a general idea of future local conditions. Dr. Stephens shared that Wunderground has been his go-to app, as it gets its information from local satellite weather stations.
Beyond forecasting, local officials and the school’s facilities team assess real-time conditions at and around LS. Dr. Stephens contacts Chief Nix at the Sudbury Police Department, the head of the Department of Public Works, and the facilities director at LS—the DPW and SPD help to assess and monitor the road conditions that impact vehicle transportation. The facilities director is on campus by 3:00 am, ready to share the on-campus conditions for the roads, parking lots, and walkways leading to the school. Believe it or not, sometimes the facilities director and grounds crew come as early as 2:00 am to begin making the campus safe for the school to run. “If it’s snow, they’re gonna plow it first, then they lay down a coat of salt,” shared Dr Stephens. “It’s a bear, but they work tirelessly to clear every critical area.” The hard work of the grounds crew is how the conditions on campus are maintained safe for individuals.
Dr. Stephens must consider transportation safety and logistics while communicating with these local officials. Buses must operate safely not only for local students but also for those commuting from outside of Lincoln and Sudbury. Additionally, Dr. Stephens emphasized “that we have a bunch of kids drive and see these are young drivers. They’re inexperienced.” Student drivers are one of his most significant considerations when making safety decisions because the last thing he wants is to make the wrong call and have somebody hurt. Likewise, he considers the needs of out-of-district students, including those in the METCO program and special education students, some of whom rely on school-coordinated bus and van transportation. With vans and buses traveling to various locations, Dr. Stephens also has to consider the conditions of these areas and whether students can travel safely.
Similarly, staff commuting is another transportation consideration, as the weather may vary by region. “Every school has faculty who commute,” so this is not a unique consideration for LS, but Dr. Stephens still understands that “some may be getting slammed, and they may be having something where they’re not able to come in.” This does play a role in the decision-making process.
Another communication and coordination step Dr. Stephens takes involves the Lincoln and Sudbury public schools (SPS). Dr. Stephens typically connects with “Mr. Crozier and Mr. Graham, Sudbury, and Lincoln” superintendents. The other two school districts have families that include the high school district. Dr. Stephens relayed that he communicates more with Mr Crozier as SPS and LS share buses. On typical days, the schedule allows some buses to transport students to the high school and elementary school. Therefore, coordination on safety decisions ensures smooth bussing logistics. Likewise, Dr. Stephens shared, “Anytime there’s an extra bus run or anything like that, it’s usually a little extra money,” so though it is not a primary consideration, the cost is still an impact he accounts for.
Dr. Stephens prioritizes safety while balancing operational and financial considerations. This comprehensive process involves cooperation and communication between many different leaders. The next time you receive an email about a snow day, think of Dr. Stephens and the facilities team, who were up at 3:00 a.m. More importantly, the next bad weather day, when we have school, remember that this team was likely up at 3:00 a.m. and is still at school for a full day of work!
