Expected snowfall totals downgraded a bit

CHILLICOTHE – Parents in many area school districts, your kids are coming home early today.

WIth what was originally looking to be the biggest storm of the 2014-15 winter season bearing down on the Scioto Valley later today, area superintendents faced a choice this morning -- close their doors in anticipation of heavy weather that had the potential to begin later in the normal school day or see what would happen and then make a decision on whether conditions were deteriorating enough to send students home early.

Many split the difference on that decision, announcing either before school started or just afterward that early dismissal would be the order of the day. As of 10 a.m., early dismissals had been announced for Chillicothe, Paint Valley, Adena, Southeastern, Pioneer Center, Piketon, Ross County Christian Academy and several area Head Start centers.

A winter storm warning went into effect at noon today and will remain in effect until 1 p.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service office in Wilmington. Rain will transition over to snow sometime this afternoon, then will intensify into the evening and overnight hours before tapering off sometime Thursday morning. Total snowfall expected has been downgraded from the 6 to 10 inch range being forecast earlier this morning to a 3 to 5 inch total now being forecast.

Area school superintendents have been keeping an eye on the latest weather models since Tuesday, trying to balance what they are seeing with what they need to fit educationally into their calendars for students.

Jon Saxton, superintendent of Chillicothe City Schools, and Keith Stevenson, superintendent of Huntington Local Schools, are among those who have been keeping an eye on up-to-the minute weather updates.

When deciding whether to call off school entirely or release students early on any given day, they have to consider factors such as snow accumulation, temperatures, road conditions and, in this case, even their districts' obligation to administer the new state-mandated Common Core exams within the required testing window.

Stevenson, whose district has missed 15 days so far this winter, said the state is providing some flexibility based on the inclement weather.

Stevenson made the call for a two-hour early dismissal shortly after the school day began after monitoring the forecasts as they evolved and after communicating with the high school to decide whether they'd have time to administer exams.

"It's a complex puzzle. There's no easy decision," Stevenson said.

Saxton agreed the testing window creates problems. Even a two-hour change in the school day can make it difficult for schools to administer the exams while also creating "the right kind of testing environment," he said.

Different districts face different challenges when it comes to snow, ice and cold. For example, Saxton has to be mindful of subfreezing temperatures because an estimated 800 Chillicothe students walk to and from school. No other district in Ross County has that issue.

Huntington and Paint Valley, meanwhile, cover acres of hills that can make some roads impassable.

Despite their different terrains, all of the superintendents consult one another on weather conditions using group text messages.

"It's widely known that we communicate and we do all talk together," Saxton said, explaining how they share photos of roads and screen grabs of weather apps from their smartphones.

While it's not a decision by committee — Saxton called off school last week on a day no one else did — "it's very collaborative," he said.

Paint Valley's boys sectional final game against Manchester at Northwest High School scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday has been postponed to Thursday night. The district final contest between Chillicothe and Unioto's girls teams at 7 p.m. tonight at Southeastern High School is still on as of 2:30 p.m.

With the brunt of the storm expected to hit during the evening and overnight hours, that could create another weather closing or two for area schools that have already experienced more than a fair share of calamity days. Making the situation even more worrisome is another brief blast of extreme winter cold as the storm is moving out of the area on Thursday. With low temperatures Thursday night forecast at around zero without the wind chill factored in, the effectiveness of road salt being used to clean up the mess could be hindered.

The forecast high on Thursday is around 19 degrees. By way of comparison, the average high temperature for this time of year in the Chillicothe area is 44 degrees, while the average low is 27.

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