The topic of “Blizzard2015” was one of the most talked about events of 2015 (so far). Flights were cancelled, the news was all over the blizzard with constant coverage, and supermarkets were packed to capacity with worried family members rationing and stocking up for the huge blizzard event. On that Monday, January 26^th, Norristown Area School District received a half day. The day after, on Tuesday, January 27^th, Norristown Area School District received a day off. After much deliberation from weather experts and meteorologists, it paled in comparison with what actually happened to the area. After well over 10 inches of snow being predicted, little to no snow ended up falling. However, we still received a day off. It seemed very odd, and it raises the question as to, “why would we still receive an off day when not a lot of snow fell?” Superintendent Dr. Samuels gives some insight into the process.

According to Dr. Samuels, closing and opening school is, “a difficult decision that is made in collaboration with our partner districts, Colonial and Upper Merion, and the districts’ facilities staff members. Local weather forecasts are monitored throughout the night.” This shows that Norristown School District is not alone when it comes to making the difficult decision of opening and closing. It is a group effort when it comes to choosing whether or not to make students come or not. This debunks the stigma that Norristown School District makes their decisions solely on what they feel like doing. Multiple minds make for better decisions.

Many people may not know this, but the district monitors the weather in other ways as well. According to Dr. Samuels, “our facilities staff members drive throughout the specific communities that we serve in order to monitor conditions of various roads and streets, as we transport more than 7,000 students, both in and outside of the school district.” Administration puts their lives into people’s shoes by testing the terrain themselves. This way, there is no way that it can be said that there is no honest deliberation when it comes to the decision. The random connect-ed call that you get a 5 AM is not simulated, either. According to Dr. Samuels, “At approximately 4:00 – 4:30 a.m., I converse with the superintendents of our partner districts and staff to make a determination regarding the status of schools as a result of the inclement weather.” This shows that the deliberation is not unfounded at all.

There have been some trials and tribulations that come with the process. According to Dr. Samuels, “One of the most challenging decisions related to inclement weather took place during last school year when we received more than 68.5 inches of snow.” Throughout the entire decision, staff and students need to be taken into consideration before it is too late. Sometimes, those requirements are not met in time. To meet those requirements, sometimes something as basic as sleep is not met during this trying time. Dr. Samuels says, “When anticipating inclement weather, there are occasions when I may not sleep”. In order to keep track of this process, some of the major outlets that are used are KYW, the Montgomery County HazMat Teams and school districts and police departments. As you can see, this is not the traditional way that many people in the district follow the news, so it is a different approach. This is a hard process that requires more thought and work than meets the eye.

In summary, calling off for snow days is not a simplistic process. The superintendent attests to this. The next time you wake up and wonder why Norristown School District has a delay or off, remember one thing. Remember that it is an intricate process that takes a long amount of thought, collaboration and deliberation. At the end of the day, all administration is looking out for the best interest of its students. As a collective school and community, this is all the district can ask for.