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From the Desk of Dr. Halley: Snow Day Insights

By Halley, Heath on February 01, 2019

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Good morning, I will be writing a series of articles that I hope will provide insight into the operation and goals of our school district.

Yet, I’m beginning with the weather, as it impacts everyone on a daily basis. This past year has been one of unbelievable weather. Last winter we had tremendous cold weather followed by a dry warm spring and summer. Then we swam through a very wet fall that impacted our athletic teams and venues. This winter had 5 snowfalls that were measurable prior to December 1st. Recently, we have accumulated nearly 20 inches of snow, some freezing drizzle and record cold temperatures this week. Putnam County R-I has used everything in its arsenal to ensure the safety of our students, families, staff, and community. We have moved games earlier in the day and days ahead to beat storms. We have had 2-hour delays, early outs, and outright school cancellations. However, mother nature is undefeated. We can try to plan and forecast, but ultimately we are only making educated guesses.

Putnam County has the largest geographical transportation district in the state of Missouri. So weather monitoring from Northwest of Powersville to Southeast to the edge of Worthington is no small task and can vary greatly. You might be interested to know how the school weather-related decisions are made. Allen Tipton, transportation director, John Fowler, maintenance director and myself are usually in constant communication. Allen visits with area transportation directors, while I visit with superintendents to the West, South, and East of Putnam. Many times Allen is out by 4:30 am, checking on roads evaluating current weather and road conditions. He contacts me by 5:00 am to give me a conditions report and his opinion on our options or ask me to get out to check the roads or to gather data from surrounding schools. My son Hoyt and I usually go out in the evenings and check gravels and blacktops in our area and share our findings with Allen.

Obviously, our goal is to have school, but only when we believe it is safe enough. Making the decision is just the beginning. The phone lines get really busy at this point. Allen notifies each of his drivers while I make contact with each of our 3 principals. They, in turn, each begin a phone chain for each of their buildings so that all staff is notified. I then call Terry Owings and Kathy Rhodes who each have several radio/TV stations they contact to get the word out. I also contact our maintenance and food service departments, as they have employees that get to school very early. Typically, Donna Altiser then does the school messenger, however, lately we have had some “technical” issues and you have received those from High School principal Tiffani Klinginsmith.

I hope this glimpse into Putnam County R-I’s version of storm chasing to be informative to you.

Sincerely, Heath