ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Will they, or won't they?
In West St. Louis County, that decision is made by Keith Marty of the Parkway School District.
"We want to make sure that we’re fairly clear what’s moving in. If it’s ice, that‘s a little bit more dangerous. We want to be conscious about our students. A lot of our students drive and of course we have drivers so we want them dropping off kids and then getting home safe," Marty said.
Marty said his Friday morning will begin early with calls to his transportation and operations personnel.
He'll also spend a lot of time studying the forecast.
"Big window right now and so by tomorrow morning, we’ll have a pretty good idea of what’s clearer and what’s moving in. What’s moving in first, precipitation or is going to snow or is it moving in early?" Marty said.
Whatever the decision, he hopes to give parents plenty of notice.
"I would hope by tomorrow morning by mid-morning we’d have a pretty good idea if we can make it through the school day or if we need to do early release," he said.
In the meantime, he encourages parents to come up with a backup plan.
"There may be a need for the children to come early, and if there’s any chance the parents can’t go home, where can the children go that will be safe?" Marty said.
As with all weather events, you have to expect the unexpected.
"I’ll be up early and watching this really closely," he said.
Marty says, most of the districts around the St. Louis area will probably make that decision around the same time.
Keith said he's part of a superintendent conference call where all of the leaders will discuss their strategies together.
So keep an eye out on our closings page for the very latest.