Is school canceled? How Michigan districts decide when to call off class
How districts decide to cancel classes because of the cold
When extreme weather is predicted for metro Detroit, school districts need to determine their plan of action. To close school or not, that’s the question.
(FOX 2) - For the student, it's as simple as looking up their district on the news and seeing if they will have class the following day.
But when it comes to canceling school, there is a whole order of operations that gets baked into the decision. That's why, during freezing cold spells like the one afflicting Michigan this week, some districts had school off this week — and others did not.
And if you're one of those students hoping to see if class is canceled, check out the FOX 2 closings page for the most up-to-date information.
Is School Canceled?
Sometimes it's too much snow, while other times it's the brutally-cold temperatures that warrant a day home from school.
When it's because of the cold, Royal Oak says there's a temperatures limit that spurs discussion.
"For most of us, the threshold to really start having the conversation about closings starts between negative 15 and negative 20," said Dr. John Tafelski, superintendent of Royal Oak Schools.
Factors that his administration weighs include student safety and whether the district has days to spend.
"Obviously whether they're walking to school, they're waiting for the bus, they want to go out to recess," Tafelski said. "All of those things are factors."
He added that a call to the National Weather Service is also part of the game.
Despite the frigid temperatures, Royal Oak had class on Tuesday.
Avoiding a broken furnace and other preparations for the winter months
Avoiding a broken furnace or cracked pipes can be tricky in the winter, especially during periods of intense cold. Here are some cheap and free tips for avoiding the worst.
Dig deeper:
However, Michigan's largest district opted to close school on Tuesday.
Detroit Public Schools made the decision based on the number of their students who walk to class.
"We consider the road conditions for buses and staff coming to school and work and returning home, as well as the temperature at arrival and dismissal considering that unlike other districts in Michigan the majority of our students walk to school or take yellow school buses or city buses to and from school," read a statement from DPSCD Superintendent Nikolai Vitti.
It was a similar story for Oakland University,
"Things like timings of the storm, how cold wind chills will be, how long it will take to clear campus so it's safe for pedestrian and traffic movement throughout campus," said Chief Mark Gordon with the OU police department.
He said when temperatures get this cold, the salt is no longer effective at melting the ice that is expected to form.
High winds could also have a factor, especially with an open campus like OU.
The Source: Interviews with Oakland University, Royal Oak Schools, and a statement from Detroit schools were cited.