ST. LOUIS — Missouri is preparing for a winter storm Tuesday night into the Wednesday morning commute. Some areas could see between 4–9 inches of snow.
So how do school districts make an attendance decision on snow days?
"When I was a superintendent ours was always, 'When in doubt school was out'," Education Plus CEO Dr. Paul Ziegler said.
Education Plus is a cooperative of 54 school districts and six charter schools in the St. Louis area.
"I do believe there are a lot of school districts that will still take at least the first couple snow days every year and make them what we thought of as kids as a true snow day," Ziegler tells 5 On You Side.
"An opportunity for kids to be outside playing in the snow or sledding or building a snowman and not worrying so much about engaging in that education," he said.
Based on the schools 5 On Your Side polled, a majority have plans in place for classic snow days.
"I think there is a lot of pressure on kids these days and on families in general, so a snow day provides an unexpected opportunity to stay at home and have some fun with your family," Francis Howell School District superintendent Dr. Kenneth Roumpos said.
It's not all about fun though, Dr. Roumpos says calling for a snow day is also a safety decision.
"We transport over 10,000 students on 130 or 140 bus routes each day, so we need to make sure the roads are safe to transport those students on buses," he said.
Administrators also take inexperienced high school drivers into consideration when calling for a snow day.
For a few districts, like Collinsville in Illinois and Northwest in Jefferson County, Missouri, snow days are now virtual learning days.
However, in an email, Northwest said that because Wednesday is looking like a "fun" winter weather day with good conditions for snowmen and snowball fights, they are preparing for a traditional snow day.
A representative from the Collinsville School District told 5 On Your Side they will only shift away from e-learning if power outages are a concern.
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