The Revere Local School District has authorized the option of utilizing a two-hour delay on calamity days, instead of calling off school for the full day.

Revere High School superintendent Matthew Montgomery explained how the two-hour delay came to be an option for the school district. He expanded upon why it is a complicated decision for a superintendent to cancel school.

“I have to make the call if we are going to do two-hour delay or call off for the whole day. It impacts me directly, what I do and the capabilities that I have or the tools that have to combat inclement weather. It’s more complicated than you think. Fifty percent of the population may be very happy with me if I call off, while fifty percent of the population is going to be unhappy if I call off. I never enjoy making decisions when I may upset fifty percent of the population that I serve,” Montgomery said.

Every school has a different procedure for calling off school. Montgomery explained his personal procedure for calling off for the full day or a two-hour delay.

“I will call for the day if my sources think the roads will clear up or the storm will subside. I am going to call by 5:30 in the morning, so 7:30 you would get a phone call again and the 7:30 phone call you would get if only I was going to cancel. Let’s say that I call a two-hour delay at 5:30 because I think the storm is going to subside by 7:30. If it doesn’t then I would call again at 7:30 and call for the day. I don’t have another option. If it’s not going to get better by 9 we are going to call for the day,” Montgomery said.

Montgomery is in constant contact with superintendents from surrounding districts and service directors from nearby counties. The two main counties are Bath and Richfield. Melanie Baker, the Service Director for Richfield Township talked about her position and her involvement in making the call.

“My staff, the police department and myself work together to make sure we provide the most accurate information in order to help make the best decision for the school. The ultimate decision is up to the superintendent,” Baker said.

In order to call a two-hour delay or full calamity day, certain conditions need to be in play. Baker mentioned what would lead to a two-hour delay.

“I will be looking at when the storm looks like it is going to break or stop, I will watch the temperatures and I will follow the trucks and their routes to see how we are progressing with the storm. If a storm looks like it is going to break and we could be in a better position to have the roads cleaner, and the temperatures will be rising, then a two-hour delay may be a good decision,” Baker said.

Both Montgomery and Baker mentioned that they use the same weather service, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to check current conditions. Montgomery described why he uses NOAA.

“I use NOAA because it is where weather channels will go, so meteorologists use NOAA and in my opinion it is the most credible source for meteorology data,” Montgomery said.

Richfield Township Service Department Foreman Jerry Schall touched on what he and his staff do to ensure that the roads are clear.

“During the snow-plowing season, the Township starts at 3:30 am Monday through Friday to make sure roads are cleared,” Schall said.

Ultimately the decision of whether to call for a snow day is up to the superintendent of the school district and his sources. The two-hour delay could be implemented this year for the Revere Local School District in the event of inclement weather.