December 3rd, 2014 by WCBC Radio
The Allegany County Public School System released a lengthy, detailed statement on Tuesday outlining all of the factors taken into consideration when making the decision to delay or close schools. The first consideration is for the safety of students traveling to and from school, including the outside access to school buildings. Adverse weather conditions such as snow and ice, extreme cold temperatures and sustained wind chill temperatures and the vast differences in terrain from one region of the county to the next affect these decisions as well. ACPS transportation department personnel survey road conditions as early as 3:30 a.m. on mornings of inclement weather, traveling on routes that are representative of some of the critical areas for safe school bus travel. Staff also consults with the National Weather Service out of Pittsburgh, PA, and Sterling, VA, AccuWeather Service information, State Highway weather stations, and other automated weather stations for weather forecasts and updates. Superintendent David Cox said that without question, making the determination to close or delay schools based on weather projections can be a frustrating and thankless process:
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