Forest Hills superintendent outlines how ‘snowmageddon’ decisions are made, warns calendar changes possible

Superintendent Larry Hook told the Forest Hills School District Board of Education on Jan. 20 that decisions to delay or cancel school during major winter storms are made rapidly each event morning and rely on multiple data sources and local partners. He described the process after the recent multi-day storm the district labeled "snowmageddon."

Hook said the district—s priority is in-person instruction but safety drives decisions. "We wanna have school," he said, before describing how transportation, maintenance and operations staff, and local township crews assess parking lots and roads starting in the early morning hours. Hook said staff check the National Weather Service, local radar and weather apps, text other superintendents and then decide typically between about 5:15 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. whether to delay or cancel.

The superintendent…