By Bob Vlach
Woodford Sun Staff
Woodford County Public Schools Superintendent Lori Jones cancelled school on Tuesday after morning snow squalls led to slick travel conditions.
“It definitely was not an expected call, but I feel good about the call (to cancel school on Tuesday) … and I wouldn’t go back and change it,” Jones told the Sun Tuesday afternoon.
Jones said she checked road conditions on Monday night and again on Tuesday morning with the transportation department. “And all the areas that we had checked up to about 5:15 were good,” she said.
About 15 minutes later, Jones said she got a call from the district’s transportation director, who told her, “Versailles Road (U.S. 60 East from Woodford Feed to the Fayette County line) is a disaster. There are accidents everywhere.”
Not able to re-route several bus routes from U. S. 60 East, coupled with communications from Versailles Police Chief Rob Young informing her about numerous collisions, Jones made the decision to cancel classes, she told the Sun.
Jones said he will make a recommendation to the Woodford County Board of Education (BOE) to use a staff workday on April 13 as a school day for students in order to make up for Tuesday’s snow day. If that recommendation is approved by the BOE, the last day of school for students remains May 29, she said.
WCPS has used all 10 of its non-traditional instruction days, “so at this point we don’t have any more to use,” Jones said. She said WCPS has already used March 6 and 9 as makeup days.
Jones noted the current school calendar does not allow the flexibility to delay a school day without having to make up that entire day. To make one-and two-hour delays an option in coming years, Jones said she will make a recommendation to the BOE that gives the district more flexibility.