Brentwood Superintendent of Schools David Faulkner is well aware that the first day of school for 2014 coincides with predicted below-zero temperatures Sunday night and a high in low single digits on Monday.
Faulkner said there’s no policy on how cold it should be before school is called off, “but I think with the combination of the snow coming on Sunday and the cold weather, the safe answer is, we’ll look at the total conditions and decide Sunday night what’s the best decision for the kids,” he said.
He said about 20 percent of Brentwood students wait at bus stops in St. Louis and also a significant number of kids walk from across Brentwood Boulevard.
“So if it is as cold as (they say it will be), we’ll consider all of those factors,” he said.
Faulkner said the decision to cancel school is made with input from a group of 23 superintendents in St. Louis County. He said that gives him an idea what travel is like for the staff.
If a decision is made to cancel, automated calls will go to parents and it will be announced on network television stations and websites.
Maplewood Richmond Heights schools make the decision to close before 5 a.m. the day of school, according to its website. It’s also announced on network television stations and websites.