How cold is too cold for schools? Keep an eye on wind chill warnings
This time of year in Greater Cincinnati, many students can expect to miss classes because of snow or for days that are extremely cold.
While many students are not physically in the classroom due to the coronavirus pandemic, the ones who are might miss out on in-person learning once temperatures reach the negatives.
Even then, some districts aren't allowing for true snow days. Cincinnati Public Schools has students attend virtually on what would typically be a snow day in years past.
How cold does it have to be to cancel school
Most districts in Greater Cincinnati don't have a set policy on when school is called off.
If the National Weather Service issues a wind chill warning, there's a good chance school districts are starting to talk about being closed for in-person learning.
The weather service issues a wind chill warning when dangerously cold wind chill values are expected or occurring. Forecasters say to avoid going outside during the coldest parts of the day during a warning.
A wind chill warning is issued when wind chills are minus 25 or colder.
A wind chill advisory is issued when wind chills are between minus 15 or minus 24.
In years past, Mason City Schools officials said it will close on days when the temperature or wind chill factor dips below minus 20 to minus 25.
"Temperatures with wind chills in this range are considered dangerously cold if exposure is over 10-15 minutes. With students walking to school and waiting at bus stops, we consider this extreme cold a safety issue," the district said.
Along with Mason, Talawanda School District, Campbell County Public Schools and Covington Independent Public Schools have similar policies.
"When the National Weather Service issues a wind chill warning for Covington for the time the school day begins, the district will make a decision to close schools. It is quite likely we will make this type of decision on the morning of the day in question as it is hard to predict what the wind chill will be the night before," the Covington schools said. "The district will likely be open if there is a Wind Chill Advisory for this area."
This month, Talawanda has closed instruction, both in-person and virtual learning, due to inclement weather, but those closures were linked to snow.
For Cincinnati Public Schools, there is no set temperature for when school is called off but if school is called off, students still attend remote learning.
"Students, who now have devices at home, are expected to attend their online classes and complete work as they would during a typical distance-learning or blended-learning school day," district officials said.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: How cold does it have to be to cancel school? Keep an eye on wind chill
