Fairfield district planning to return to school Friday

consecutive snow day today, but superintendent Don Achelpohl is hopeful classes will resume Friday.

?We hate to lose days so early in the season,? Achelpohl said, but he explained it would have been unsafe for buses to run, plus some district employees who live in rural areas were still unable to make it into town this morning.

Even though the severe winter storm that hit the area Tuesday and Wednesday was to be gone today, the decision to cancel today?s classes was made and announced Wednesday night.

According to Achelpohl, when the district?s director of auxiliary services, Fred McElwee, was out checking roads Wednesday evening, he found many were drifted closed.

While McElwee was out checking roads, Achelpohl was checking in with other area superintendents to learn their plans and reviewing National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration?s weather forecasts.

District personnel were concerned the roads in the 350-square-mile school district might not be cleared in time for this morning?s bus route runs, and even if roads were cleared, buses still might not have had room to safely turn around, plus the weather forecast was calling for winds to pick up again today.

?Mr. McElwee knows what Iowa weather is like,? said Achelpohl. ?I listen very carefully to his advice.?

?It?s a tough call,? said McElwee.

?We?re not always perfect ? but we?re trying to do our best,? said Achelpohl.

Information about school delays, early dismissals and cancellations is passed on to the public as soon as the decision is made.

In addition to listening to area radio and television stations for announcements, parents also can check out the district?s Web site at www.fairfieldsfuture.org, and they can sign up for direct notification by e-mail message or an automated phone call.

?That?s working very well and very quick,? said McElwee.

Achelpohl added the new feature gets announcements out quicker to parents and school personnel than relying on radio and television stations that are often ?on auto-pilot? without a person to answer the phone and immediately broadcast the information.

With the new notification feature, everyone in the district can receive the announcements within 10 minutes, Achelpohl continued.

Any parent or school employee who wants to sign up for the free e-mail and phone alerts can call the Administration/Curriculum/Technology Center at 472-2655 for details.

For the complete article, see the Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009, printed edition of The Fairfield Ledger.