SYRACUSE -- Heavy snow forced dozens of school districts across Central New York to close or delay classes on Monday.
For superintendents, the decision to close is not taken lightly. The Syracuse City School District used its first snow day of the year.
Superintendent Dan Lowengard says school officials usually start to seriously consider closing around 4 a.m. They check in with road patrols and weather reports, and they keep a close eye on road conditions around the schools.
Lowengard says the district has about 14,000 students who take the bus and 6,000-7,000 walkers, so it's important to make sure the busses and the children can make it in OK.
He says he doesn't base his decision on how many snow days the district has left. The district has six snow days built into the calendar, but Lowengard says more can be accommodated.
"I know everybody loves snow days, even the adults, but it really is about the kids' safety," says Lowengard. "Regardless of how many days you put in the calendar, you still make that decision day by day."
Many suburban districts, like North Syracuse, also start planning at 4 a.m. Superintendent Jerry Melvin says the district had a one hour delay Monday, and he checks with the town highway department, the school's transportation director, and the U.S. Weather Bureau.
Some smaller districts like Lyncourt, which has only two buses, check a very specific area and start making decisions around 5 a.m.
