ALPENA — The decision to close school for a Snow Day includes several important factors, Alpena Public Schools said in a news release on Tuesday. On evenings when road conditions are the concern, the Superintendent of Alpena Public Schools and Transportation Supervisor get in their cars at 3 a.m. to drive on several of the most challenging roads around the county to check the conditions. APS’s goal is to make the difficult prediction of what conditions, across the 604 square miles of the district, will be like at the time students are picked up and dropped off for the coming school day. Weather radar reports from the National Weather Service are reviewed, and there is consultation with the Alpena County Road Commission. There are also calls with superintendents from the surrounding counties. Then an informed decision is made utilizing all the information from these sources. On the rare occasion when conditions change drastically it may require a late closure call or an early dismissal.

When temperature is the question, a similar consultation occurs, the release said. There is no district policy listing an automatic temperature that results in closure. The general temperature expectation for closure is a sustained -25-degree wind chill. APS provides Facebook, School Messenger, APS app, website, and radio updates on bus delays as an attempt to avoid prolonged exposure to cold temperatures for students. Frostbite is always a concern, and the risk is calculated using wind speed/air temperature and time of exposure.

APS would like to remind its families that they are the best judge of the conditions at their location. As a parent, it is their right to decide if it is safe for their child to attend based on their individual situation. APS asks parents to call the school to excuse their child if it’s decided that it isn’t safe for them to attend. Families that keep their child home should be sure to find out about work that was missed and make it up like they would for any absence.