School Notes: "Does FCPS ever like go outside"

FCPS Safety Patrol Training Program

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful. And since weve no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow ...

What? Oh, sorry, looking out the window, it just looks like a Christmas card.

I think a possibly relevant topic for the column today is how Frederick County Public Schools determines when school is canceled for weather-related reasons.

About 25,000 students ride the bus, said schools spokesman Michael Doerrer, but the district has to consider not only those students but also the walkers.

Staff members keep track of the forecast, gathering information from those in the county who handle weather emergencies, as well as the National Weather Service.

Particularly, the school district monitors the roads and the school lots. Doerrer said that schools are equipped with cameras, and then employees with the school systems transportation department are out inspecting the roads between 3 and 4 a.m. to determine the danger.

The FCPS chief operating officer and deputy superintendent make a recommendation to the superintendent, who communicates that with Doerrer and staff, so around 5:30, students will know whether to remain in their pajamas.

Rarely does the school district make a call about school closings a day before an event, Doerrer said, only when forecasts are consistent and the predictions are so clear that the district knows that schools would need to close.

Weather is so unpredictable, Doerrer said. Generally, we need to see whats actually happening on the ground.

On Monday, schools were closed, and operating on a code yellow, meaning all staff were to stay home, except for emergency personnel, such as maintenance staff members, Doerrer said.

The school system relies on the same sort of criteria to determine whether roads are safe for employees as well, Doerrer said.

And there you have it.

My favorite part of school closing is perusing Twitter and reading all the angry tweets from students begging the school system to cancel school early in the day. (The headline of this column is in reference to one of those tweets.)

Closing early, of course, would please the students, but Ive heard from parents that hearing a decision early does help with planning.

By about 1:15 p.m. on Monday, Frederick County announced that schools would again be closed on Tuesday, following suit from Prince Georges County Public Schools, Montgomery County Public Schools and Washington County Public Schools.

Temporary leave

For the duration of the legislative session, as our usual county government reporter braves Annapolis, I will be reporting on Frederick County government.

This means I will be taking a temporary leave from my School Notes column until at least Sine Die.

My replacement, Lindsay Powers, will be taking over the column starting in February. Lindsay previously wrote about education in Montgomery County, so shell be ready to jump in and illuminate all of the relevant issues in the Frederick County realm of education.

Until then, continue to tweet @jbeowulf with both ideas of coverage that are both education and county government related. If I cant write about them, I would imagine someone will.

Follow Jeremy Bauer-Wolf on Twitter: @jbeowulf.

Source: http://www.fredericknewspost.com/news/education/learning_and_programs/school-notes-does-fcps-ever-like-go-outside/article_ac54bde2-2830-5c86-bd93-ffee93782e4e.html