As the snow falls I become immediately concerned for the welfare of Oldham County school students. However, I take comfort in knowing that I have a great staff that work tirelessly to make the decision to close school with the best interest of our students in mind. Predictions of snow make for restless nights for Margaret Johnson, Director of Transportation for the Oldham County Schools. She wakes up periodically throughout the night to check the weather forecasts and, if the weather starts turning toward a snow event, at 3:00 a.m. she calls Rick McHargue, Assistant Superintendent, and the members of her transportation staff. This group of seven people hit the roads to assess the driving conditions around the county. The team has divided the county into sections and each member drives a specific route, checking the roadways that are usually the most dangerous when snow covered. At 5:00 a.m., the members of the group converge at the district’s transportation center to meet with Mr. McHargue to discuss the situation and share their impression of the road conditions. Ms./Mrs. Johnson also usually contacts the state and county highway departments to assess their progress in clearing the roads. After the group has reported in, it falls to Mr. McHargue to make the final decision whether we close schools, delay the opening, or open on schedule. It seems that for most of the mornings when a snowstorm is happening or about to happen, a clear-cut answer is usually not that apparent. Mr. McHargue enjoys the mornings when the snow has already fallen and a clear-cut answer is apparent. However, the days that the storm is just beginning or is expected to begin are the toughest days. On those days Mr. McHargue must place some faith into weather forecasts that can predict large snow amounts that actually produce little, or predict a dusting and we receive multiple inches. Nevertheless, our administrators try to make the decision with safety as the primary concern. Ms./Mrs. Johnson takes the decision to heart, as a former bus driver she knows that it would only take one bus accident that could have been avoided to point out that it’s better to err on the side of caution than to make a decision that would endanger a student. Her decision to cancel school inherently falls on one question: Would she feel safe driving in the current conditions? Once the decision is made, Mr. McHargue places a call to me for confirmation. Then the notification process starts. Mr. McHargue contacts the local television and radio stations so the message will be on the newscasts by 5:30. The district web master is contacted so an announcement can be placed on the district web page. At 5:45, an automated telephone call is started on the telephone notification system to the households of the approximately 12,000 students and 1,800 employees of the school district. It usually takes about 45 to 55 minutes for the system to place the calls to every number. Although the students may appreciate an unanticipated day off school, they will have to make up any missed days before the summer break can begin. While they may hate to give up a warm summer vacation day for a school make-up day, we feel it’s best to lose a day than to risk the loss of a student due to bad weather. Paul Upchurch |
Oldham County Schools have been closed 8 days this school year due to snow and hazardous road conditions. The last day for students will be June 2, 2011 (subject to change). 2010 - 2011 School Calendar
"Snow" Days | Make-up Days |
December 13, 2010 | February 21, 2011* Presidents' Day |
December 16, 2010 | May 24, 2011 |
December 17, 2010 | May 25, 2011 |
January 11, 2011 | May 26, 2011 |
January 12, 2011 | May 27, 2011 |
January 20, 2011 | May 31, 2011 |
January 21, 2011 | June 1, 2011 |
January 26, 2011 | June 2, 2011 |
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