How metro Atlanta schools determine when to delay or close because of bad weather

Students were the winners in metro Atlanta school system bets on whether the icy conditions predicted for Monday morning would materialize.

The schools put their money on freezing rain and called off classes. Students collected this morning by staying snuggled in bed as parents readied for work, either at the office or from home as finding childcare on short notice is problematic.

And so it goes. Sometimes schools make the right call. Sometimes not.

In some cases, school districts have been criticized by some parents for not closing early enough, like the infamous Snow Jam of 2014, when some school buses were stuck on area roads for hours. Sometimes, they're heckled for closing school when no bad weather comes. Sometimes, they're taken to task for not closing at all.

Most superintendents know where the buck stops.

Readers have to respect this response from Decatur City Schools Superintendent David Dude, who posted on his Facebook page:

“For those who are asking, I am the one who decides when we close school, delay school, or release early. If my decision upsets you, please direct your anger at me. I make the decision after extensive communication with surrounding school districts, the weather service, and members of my administration. I am well aware of how much closing school impacts families. I would love to have school on Monday, but it's simply not feasible when we live in a region that is so ill prepared for ice. Our difficulties are further compounded by the lack of affordable housing within our school district. The vast majority of our teachers and staff live outside the city, so when all of the surrounding school districts close, it makes it next to impossible for us to stay open. Let's take this anger and turn it into passion for addressing our lack of affordable housing and getting our region to invest in road salting equipment! :) Tackling those two things would get us a long way toward keeping school open in situations like this.”

So how do these school districts decide when to close or delay classes in the case of potentially bad weather?

The first step, say officials, is to monitor forecasts from the National Weather Service and local newscasts.

Atlanta’s school system coordinates with the Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, and the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Gwinnett’s school system keeps in touch with the county government, police, first responders and electrical power companies.

Many systems also sent out scouts from transportation teams, who drive some roads to determine if it’s safe for school buses.