Director of Transportation Cindy Hardin has her eyes on the skies, and the roads once wintery weather starts to move into our area.
This year, that meant two snow days before Halloween!
“As fickle as the weather is, we do all we can. We gather the information between 3:00a.m. and 4:00a.m., make the call and stand by it,” Hardin says. It’s a decision made in the dark, cold, early hours. Reports from the weather service, city and county plow crews and other D-49 transportation employees around the district come in for hours, sometimes starting the day before.
“If they’re predicting a storm, I’ll get updates several times a day from the weather service,” Hardin says. And she has a trained eye: Hardin has been the go-to gal for the past seven years in D-49 when it comes to managing the risks of putting buses out in the winter weather. Before that, she spent several years making those decisions for District 20.
“By 3:30a.m., I’m out, looking at the roads and talking with other districts.” Hardin says. She travels across the district, looking at conditions and the day’s forecast. The district has to factor in weather predicted for the rest of the day.
“Are conditions getting better or worsening?” Hardin says of looking at weather reports. Issuing a delay gives some additional time to find out if things are going to improve. “Can we get (students) home?” Hardin says of the forecast’s impact on the decision. She says occasionally she has to recommend a closure even if it’s not snowing in the morning, because the forecast shows hazardous conditions moving in during the school day.
“We like to have the decision made by 4:00a.m., no later than 4:30a.m.,” Hardin says, “some of our bus drivers leave headquarters at 5:15a.m.” She also says the district needs to give parents plenty of notice to make plans if their kids won’t be in school.
It’s not just Colorado’s crazy weather that makes the decision so tough. Falcon School District 49’s boundaries encompass a tremendous change in elevation. Hardin says there’s a 2,800 foot elevation change across the district, and that means extreme variance in weather conditions.
“We have to make the call based on the worst parts of the area,” says Hardin. Temperatures below zero with a wind chill of -10 or -15 degrees mean it’s not safe for kids to be waiting at bus stops or walking to school. Visibility can also be an issue. The day after a big snowstorm can often be worse. Icy roads and blowing snow can be hazardous.
“We don’t want to lose buses in a blizzard,” Hardin says, “the safety of students, staff, parents, that’s what’s on my mind.”
“Ultimately, it’s a huge, huge decision. We know if we delay or close too often, there’s an impact in the classroom,” Hardin says, “I simply make the recommendation (to the superintendent) based on safety.”
