Students returned to Mansfield City Schools Monday after missing all of last week but how long schools will remain open this week remains to be seen.
Forecasters are calling for rain changing to snow Monday night with the potential for icy spots forming with a low around 18. A blast of arctic air will arrive later on Tuesday and is expected to create double-digit wind chills on Wednesday and Thursday mornings. Some meteorologists in Columbus say the polar vortex that will dip into Ohio could produce wind chills of -25 to -35.
Superintendent Brian Garverick said conditions will be monitored closely and, if schools are to be closed, the public will be notified as soon as possible.
“When its primarily snow, I am up by 4 AM to drive the roads,” Garverick said. “I also check with law enforcement and our transportation supervisor to decide if we should have a two-hour delay or close for the day. If below-freezing wind chills are imminent, I will make the call to close the night before.”Last Thursday Garverick announced at 6 PM that schools would be closed on Friday.
Mansfield City Schools’ elementary schools and the Spanish Immersion School have been closed for 10 days this school year. That includes three days – August 28 and September 4 and 5 – when excessive heat and the lack of air-conditioning forced their closings.
Weather conditions forced the closing of all buildings on November 15 and 27 and January 16 and 22-25.
Sherman Elementary School principal Michael Brennan said Monday morning the emphasis would be on regaining children’s focus. “It will be all about getting them back in the routine after they were out all of last week,” he said.
Before the three-day weekend break Brennan asked teachers to encourage students to keep up their reading and writing if school were closed due to weather. “Read a lot. Write about what you did on the snow days. Those were the things we encouraged,” Brennan said.
Source: Mansfield City Schools
