Snow is a big deal in St. Louis.

When a few flakes swirl into the metro area, everything seems to come a halt.  Traffic is bumper-to-bumper, highways move slower than neighborhood roads, and it takes at least 20 minutes to cross Clayton.  The Missouri Department of Transportation(MoDot) releases an army of plows and salt trucks to combat the treacherous half-inch of snow.

It’s the night before a day like this when students of all ages across Clayton cross their fingers, flush ice cubes down the toilet, and procrastinate all their homework.  Yet, unfortunately there are slim odds for an all out snow day with only a thin blanket of snow.

In reality, however, a few inches of snow can completely throw off the schedule of a normal school day as teachers and students who live outside of Clayton struggle to commute across the congested St. Louis region.  Often times, many of the buses end up running late with in-climatic weather.  In these situations, we recommend that the administration implement a snow schedule for the School District of Clayton.

Last year, the administration approved a new snow schedule for the District where the school day would simply start a hour later than normal like a Late Start Day.  This extra hour would provide many teachers and students with the necessary additional time to commute to school.  Moreover, a late start would provide teachers with the needed breathing room and time to prepare for class.

However, the administrator has yet to declare the first snow day schedule for the District.  As a result, we encourage the administration to act when the time is right in calling a snow schedule for the District.  A snow schedule can be seen as a middle ground option for when there is not enough snow for a snow day, but there is enough of a need from students and teachers alike for an additional hour to commute to school.

Ultimately, a snow schedule would ensure that everyone arrives to school safely and on time.