Calling snow days is a tricky science for Mass. school superintendents

On the eve of a winter storm that was supposed to drop 8 to 12 inches of snow across much of Massachusetts, dozens of districts called off Tuesday classes. Then, the forecast shifted. And by Tuesday morning, families were left with the kids at home and little snow for them to play in.

The forecast bust prompted many longtime residents to wax nostalgic for their own school-age years when, they claimed, school stayed in session regardless of several inches of snow. Several offered icy takes on how schools should approach the art of calling the snow day. Some went to X (formerly Twitter) to express frustration over the lackluster amount of snow.

So, first off: Are superintendents closing schools over less snow these days?

According to Stephen Zrike, superintendent of Salem Public Schools, the answer is yes.

"I grew up in this area and remember that it had to be substantial for snow days to be called," he said.

But Zrike and other Massachusetts school leaders were quick to point out several reasons for the shift. Over the years, community members began to ask school leaders to call snow days earlier. They argued parents needed more time to coordinate child care.

"People's lives are really complicated," Zrike said. "So there is definitely a move to notify earlier."

Almudena Abeyta, superintendent of Chelsea Public Schools, agreed. She said she remembers scrambling to find child care when her daughter was little and doesn't want to put district families through the same stress. When her education career began about 27 years ago, schools often waited until the day of the storm to announce closures. Today, she likes to notify parents and teachers by 1:45 p.m. the day before.

Superintendents noted other factors weigh on their minds when bad weather looms, like transportation for kids who don't live in the district's city limits.

Just like every other district in Massachusetts, Chelsea Public schools must also provide transportation for students who are in foster care or whose families have become homeless recently. State law allows these students to attend the public school district that serves their last permanent address. That means Chelsea schools remain responsible for getting those kids to class, regardless of where their temporary shelter or foster home may be now. Many times, weather conditions in other parts of the state will influence Abeyta's decision to call a snow day — even if the forecast for Chelsea is tamer.

"We have a lot of door-to-door [transportation] services," said Abeyta. "We may be getting one to two inches in Chelsea, but in Worcester you're getting six inches."

Transportation companies contracted with districts to handle those door-to-door services often won't give rides in places hit hard by heavy snowfall.

"It has huge implications for some of the most needy students in our [Salem] district," Zrike said.

Zrike and Abeyta both noted that when snowstorms are headed their schools' way, they need to ensure kids who walk to school can make the trek along safe paths. The clearing of sidewalks can happen slowly, and school leaders worry children coming to class on foot may walk in busy city roadways to avoid snow, ice and slush.

Tom Scott, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, said superintendents also might declare days off over less eventful snowfalls these days because they're simply not as used to dealing with intense weather. Due to the effects of climate change, snow totals in communities across Massachusetts have decreased significantly in recent years. The Boston metro area, for example, hasn't had a snowstorm drop more than six inches of powder in about two years.

When Scott was the superintendent for Concord Public Schools back in the '90s, he remembers regularly seeing snow in the forecast and not thinking much of it.

"We used to be accustomed to having snow," said Scott. "And you mentally adjusted to the fact that three or four inches isn't that much when you've already had eight and 10 and 12 inches or more."

Still, Scott said he empathizes with the pressure superintendents feel to make the right call about snow days. Student learning time is at stake, and many kids rely on weekday school meals to get adequate nutrition.

Salem's Zrike said after 11 years of leading school systems in Massachusetts, the pressure he feels to choose snow days wisely has gotten more bearable.

Plus, he added, there's power in numbers. Zrike said he typically only cancels school if districts in the surrounding towns are doing the same. He also hopes that when he does make the wrong call, the community will give him some grace.

"Meteorologists aren't perfect," he said, "just like superintendents aren't perfect with their calls on snow days."