BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — School superintendents across Western New York are keeping a close watch on what is expected to be a significant snowstorm.
But as of Wednesday, they have the heavy weight of waiting and watching to decide if schools should close.
“We do our best to make a decision about whether or not close when we think we have the best information available about that,” explained Michael Cornell, superintendent, Hamburg Central School District.
Two inches of snow per hour is being predicted from Thursday overnight into Friday morning, dumping a whole lot of snow.
With strong winds and possible white-out conditions, it could be a risk for students and staffers getting stranded at schools or on buses.
“We prefer to make sure if we get them here — we get them home,” noted Cornell.
But I asked Superintendent Cornell how and when do school superintendents make the decision to close.
“Do you wait until 5 o'clock Friday morning or do you decide Thursday afternoon?" Buckley questioned.
“There's a lot that goes into that and one of the things that people should know is that superintendents — we talk to each other about that decision. There's lots of phone calls and text messages going back and forth already about it. Superintendents arrive at decisions about closing schools very thoughtfully, very carefully because we want to make sure that we keep people safe,” Cornell replied.
But Cornell says they also have to consider the many students who depend on schools for some meals and to be away from some difficult home lives.
Cornell tells me maybe by Thursday afternoon they will have enough information to make a decision, but if they don't school families will just have to wait.
Cornell tells me if he does close schools in his district on Friday students will not be required to remote in. He says a snow day will be a snow day.
Meanwhile, the New York State Department of Transportation says crews are getting ready to battle the snow.
“But every storm poses its own challenge, s we've learned a lot of lessons...but we also need cooperation from the traveling public,” remarked Susan Surdej, public information officer, DOT.
Surdej tells me it is up to law enforcement to close roadways.
“So we do have the emergency gate arms at exit and entrance ramp to most of our highways which would allow us to close off sections of roadways that are being heavily affected,” Surdej said.
In a phone interview with 7 News, Governor Kathy Hochul told us they will close the thruway to truck traffic between the Pennsylvania border and Rochester Exit 46 by Thursday at 4 p.m.
“Taking those trucks off the road will prevent what happened in some of our other events 2014 and 2006. The ones that are most memorable where you have jackknifed tractor-trailer that literally paralyzes the thruway and strands people for days,” Governor Hochul explained.
