Snow-Day Decisions Vexing For School Districts

BRICK, NJ -- “I think we’re teaching mediocrity.”

Those were the words of a parent who spoke at the Brick Township Board of Education meeting on Thursday night, criticizing district officials for closing school for two days in the wake of the blizzard two weekends ago.

Friday morning, as snow fell throughout Ocean and Monmouth counties, the response from schools districts varied, with some opening on a delayed schedule, some canceling classes, and others -- including Brick, Toms River and Manchester -- opening at their normal times.

The decision to hold classes Friday drew significant criticism from angry parents, who felt the conditions -- wet, slippery driving that worsened as school buses were hitting the roads -- were simply unsafe.

The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for the area for this week, calling for snow Monday night into Tuesday and Tuesday evening as well, but saying it could be anywhere from an inch or two to something more significant. The snowfall will be mainly light with locally high accumulations.

Not terribly specific. So how do districts decide what to do?

“I drove to Toms River that Tuesday (the second day school was closed in Brick) and the roads were clear,” Brian Mirsky said at the Brick school board meeting. “I love spending time with my kids, but the second day (off) was unnecessary.”

“I think we can try harder,” Mirsky said.

Richard Caldes, who was serving as the interim superintendent in Brick during the blizzard, told Mirsky that the decision to close that Tuesday -- when main roads were clear but many side streets in the township were still a mess -- was made after consulting with Brick Township Police Chief James Riccio and the township’s roads department.

While the district was able to clear its parking lots, it came at a cost, Caldes said, as three pickup trucks were damaged while plowing the lots -- breaking axles -- because of the weight of the snow. The weight and volume -- 20 inches of snow fell in Brick -- led to delays in getting roads cleared. Even as late as Monday evening, Chambersbridge Road -- which is maintained by Ocean County -- had just 1-1/2 lanes cleared in each direction.

“Many of the side streets weren’t cleared,” Caldes said, referring to the blizzard day. Additionally, sidewalks in many areas were covered -- meaning students would have to stand in the street to get their bus. The road into Lake Riviera Middle School was just one lane wide, he said.

“The buses have to be able to make the turns (in residential developments) and we have to have places for the kids to stand,” Caldes said. ”We have to make sure the kids are safe.”

On Friday, the timing of the snowstorm complicated the decision-making process, officials said.

David Trethaway, superintendent of the Manchester Township schools, said officials there need to decide on a school closure by 5:30 a.m. so buses don’t wind up on the road.

On Friday, the snow didn’t begin until 5 a.m. and didn’t match the original predictions, he said.

“Originally the snow was to come in at 1 to 2 a.m.,” Trethaway said. ”That changed to a later time but the it would be rain mixed with snow and clear around 11 o’clock. Therefore a delayed opening would not help.”

By 6 a.m. the roads were slushy in much of the county, including Toms River. But it unexpectedly got worse by 7 a.m. -- and by that time high school students in Brick, Toms River and Manchester all were nearly at school. Central Regional, which delayed its opening by an hour, faced worse conditions by 8:30 a.m., when many students were on the way to the high school in Bayville.

The conditions, however led a number of parents in Brick, Toms River and Manchester to keep students at home.

“Should have been closed! I kept mine home. The roads are terrible and even worse to have the new HS drivers on them!” Melissa Stefanik-Martinez said in a post to the Toms River Facebook page.

“They definitely should have had delay ..... the roads were a horror this morning!!!!!!!!” Mary Anne Nedeau said on the Brick Patch Facebook page. “Not looking forward to picking up kids from school in school bus for the ride home hopefully they cleared the side roads.”

”Roads were not bad in Brick,” Lauren Lalumiere said on Facebook. “It’s the drivers who don’t know how to drive in it.”

The superintendents of all three districts said their bus drivers know that safety is paramount, even if it means bused students arrive late to school. Trethaway said the expectation that roads would be clear by the time school let out played a role in the decision as well.

“I know some parents were upset about the conditions especially in some specific areas,” Trethaway said. “The difficulty with this storm was the timing as when the decision was made the forecasts were calling for rain/snow with clearing.”

“If you aren’t comfortable sending your kids to school then keep them home,” Christine Dowling said on the Toms River Facebook page. “ The decision is ultimately that of the parents!!!”

“Keep on keeping your kids home in a bubble,” a Facebook user by the name of Joe Schoolhouse said on the Toms River page.

“Anyone who doesn’t feel safe sending their child in should use today (Friday) as a sick day,” Mirsky said on the Brick Patch Facebook page. “We get a very fair number of those. As large as our district is, it’s important to keep the doors open for learning whenever possible. We’ve gotten lucky and had a mild winter, but that isn’t always the case. I want my girls to know that sometimes you need to rise a little earlier and work a little harder due to circumstance.”

The superintendents said they work hard to evaluate all the factors to make the best decision possible for all the students and staff.

“I understand that and safety should be the most important factor,“ Trethaway said. “In any future weather event I will continue to gather as much input as possible in order to make the best decision possible.”

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(Friday’s snowfall started about 5 a.m. and by 9 a.m. residential roads were a slushy, slippery mess. Many parents criticized some local school school officials for keeping school in session while other districts closed. Credit: Karen Wall)