GLADSTONE, Mich. (WZMQ) – With temperatures dipping below zero on Tuesday, several Delta County schools told students to stay home.
Gladstone Area Public Schools was one district that announced classes were canceled on Monday evening, citing the dangerous windchill. Superintendent Jay Kulbertis says if an air temperature of -20 or a windchill of -25 to -30 is projected through the beginning of the school day, administrators discuss the possibility of canceling school.
While Kulbertis prefers to wait until morning to determine snow days to see if the snow forecasted is actually falling, he says windchill predictions are “fairly consistent.,” sometimes leading to earlier notices about closures.
“Typically, if the call is going to happen in the morning, we try to make the decision by 4:30, 5:00 at the latest, because by then we have bus drivers that are warming up their vehicles,” Kulbertis explained. “It isn’t as common that we make the decision the night before, but if something looks rock-solid like it’s going to happen, we do take that into consideration because that gives parents more time to make preparations.”
To view school closings in your area, visit the WZMQ 19 home page. On snowy or especially cold days, there will be a bar at the top of the page labeled “Closings/Delays” to alert parents of changes to their children’s schedules.
