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December 5, 2024
GLPS Families,
Well, here it is; our first snow day of the year! I know you received the school closing protocols from Communication Director John Ellsworth earlier today, but I always like to follow up a snow day call with a quick explanation for the decision, as I know that while snow days are a fun surprise, they can also create some coordination headaches for families. Therefore, you have a right to know why we made the decision today.
Last night’s storm started with drizzle and ended with snow and wind. This created a situation, especially on the north/south roads in the country, in which there was ice under drifting snow this morning. That creates hazardous conditions for our buses, but also our young drivers. In town and around our school buildings, where we did not have the blowing and drifting, we had icy conditions under a thin layer of snow, which makes drop off and pick up dangerous as well. Therefore, we made the decision to cancel for today.
We have been monitoring the conditions throughout the morning, and given the fact that there is no more snow forecasted for today and the wind has lessened significantly, we have decided that where feasible, evening activities can move forward from a safety perspective. However, this does not mean that all evening activities will go on as planned, because a snow day also creates other issues in terms of communication and logistics. Therefore, we coordinate with the leaders of our evening activities, including arts, athletics, and community events, to make individualized decisions, based on the needs of the program and the ability to effectively host the event. Therefore, if you had an evening activity planned for today, the leader of the program will provide you with the details regarding whether or not the event will continue as planned.
I hope this helps explain our response today, and we appreciate your flexibility and support. As always, we are open to feedback. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to work with you and your students every day. I am #proudtobeacomet!
Dr. Bill Barnes
Superintendent of Schools
