A wintry mix creating headaches in Missouri and beyond prompted school closures Monday, just as Springfield and many other districts planned to resume classes after winter break.
Springfield cited icy roads and a frosty wind chill in its decision to postpone the start of the spring semester.
Shawn Dilday, executive director of operations, said Monday the final decision to cancel school was made Sunday evening, but the process started days earlier with close monitoring of the updates from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service.
Springfield school officials check on the condition of residential streets before making a decision to cancel class. They want to make sure school buses can safely pick up and drop off students.
“They start coming out any time there is inclement weather moving into the area,” Dilday said. “I monitor that two to three days in advance.”
At noon Sunday, Dilday was on the phone with the Springfield school police department and others. He said Chief Jim Farrell, two school police lieutenants, as well as district transportation director Keith Adams drive small and large roadways to evaluate weather and road conditions.
“From a transportation standpoint, we don’t want buses sliding off the roads,” Dilday said. “Plus, we do also have to be able to have buildings ready and the parking lots, sidewalks ready.”
He said the district wants to make sure buses can safely navigate residential streets and avoid having students waiting at bus stops in freezing conditions.
Dilday said Springfield is also in communication with neighboring districts including Nixa, Willard, Logan-Rogersville and Republic to talk about the current and predicted weather conditions.
After gathering information, Dilday makes a recommendation to Superintendent Grenita Lathan, who makes the final decision. She then notifies the district’s communication team and it notifies employees and families.
In the event school is canceled, Dilday said the goal is to make the decision no later than 4:45 a.m. that day. “If we have the ability to feel comfortable announcing the day before, we always like to do that so parents and students can be prepared.”
Shawn Dilday
Asked if school will be in session Tuesday, Dilday said the conditions appear favorable for that to occur but steps will have to be taken before a final decision is made.
“It’s a big team effort and a big community effort to make it safe for the kids. That is the No. 1 priority,” he said.
Monday was the first closure of the 2024-25 year for Springfield. Students were last in class Friday, Dec. 20.
More: Springfield escapes worst of Missouri snow, but week ahead will be bitterly cold
Springfield Public Schools changed how snow days work
Springfield is among the many Missouri districts handling snow days differently this year after Senate Bill 727, signed into law last year, created concerns. It puts districts at risk of reduced state funding if they fall below 169 days.
In early November, prior to any inclement weather, the Springfield district outlined the change.
The biggest difference: After a specific number of days that school is canceled due to inclement weather, the district will switch to Alternative Method of Instruction, or AMI, which allows students to learn at home.
The AMI is not in effect for Monday’s cancellation.
Stephen Hall, chief communications officer, said there has been “positive feedback” so far about the change in large part because details were communicated during face-to-face conversations during parent-teacher conferences.
“This is in response to new state legislation,” Hall said. “This is not a district decision to change the way we do snow days just for the sake of making a change. It is in response.”
For preschool, the switch to AMI starts with the second day school is canceled.
For students in kindergarten and grades 1-12, the AMI switch starts with the fourth day school is canceled. The cancellations do not have to be back-to-back.
Students in preschool, kindergarten and grades 1-8 received an AMI packet in advance.
“We want to continue to remind families what the packets are for, that they need to hold on to those. They need to be readily available as the winter progresses should we need them,” Hall said.
Parents can also access the packets online at www.sps.org/AMI.
Once the AMI kicks in, students will be expected to bring the completed AMI assignments to school the next day class is in session.
The AMI days are handled differently in high school. Students in grades 9-12 will log onto Canvas on the morning of each AMI day. That’s where they will find assignments from each teacher and other instructions.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: When Springfield schools are closed, when do AMI days kick in?
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