Everyone makes the same old statement when they’re in school for the winter, whether students or staff: “Why are we here? It’s so cold/icy/snowy.”
Like you, I’ve made that same statement many times, which has led me to speculate and wonder what the threshold is for kids in Wayne Township to get a snow day, whether it’s from cold temperatures or snowy conditions.
For answers to these questions, I went straight to the source. I asked Wayne Township Superintendent Jeff Butts about the protocol for situations for inclement winter weather like the weather we’ve been experiencing as of recently. I started by asking about the process of shutting down.
“In all cases, I consult with our Director of Facilities and Grounds, Director of Transportation, Marion County Superintendents, and a selection of Superintendents in Hendricks county… this consultation will happen the night before, the morning of, or both… After making my own assessment, I will communicate that decision to the Superintendent’s cabinet so they can begin notifying their assigned groups,” Butts said.
With him giving me the run down, I also asked him to tell me about the main factors for a shutdown.
“My weather-related decisions are made through a lens that balances the safety of the students and staff with the many benefits our children receive in person from the caring adults in MSD of Wayne Township… I have also learned each person has a level of comfort with Winter weather. For that reason, I take input from several sources,” Butts said.
Regarding the factors I asked about how low the temperature can get before he consults and considers closing or delaying the school.
“If the temperature predicted by the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) to be -10 degrees or below at 7:00 a.m. the school will consider a two-hour delay for the start of school.”
He also stated the difference when there is wind chill: “Wind chill concerns emerge at a predicted wind chill temperature of -19 degrees. If it’s -19 or below with wind chill by 7:00 a.m. the school will consider a two-hour delay for the start of school. If it’s predicted to remain at -19 or below by 9:00 a.m. the school will consider closing.”
As Indiana braces for a hit of cold air from this polar vortex sweeping the north, midwest, northeast, and midwest it brought me to my next question.
I queried about when the biggest snows happened under Dr. Butts while the Wayne Superintendent.
“In 2011 and 2014 we had major ice storms that caused us to close… I recall in 2014 being closed down for a full week. It was the first week of January and we had just concluded our winter break,” he said.
Wayne’s last intense fall of extreme weather in the last years was in 2022 before winter break when Indiana and other parts of the midwest got hit by an arctic blast that made temperatures drop as much as 30 degrees, resulting in a day of finals being cut short. As we are in the midst of Winter this is important information to know so you can be better prepared for the squalls of intense winter weather that Indiana offers.
