School out once again

With Jay Schools closed today for the 10th time this year, the county highway department is left wondering what more it can do to help get classes back in session.
Classes were canceled Tuesday and again today due to icy county roadways after the area received freezing rain and sleet Monday afternoon before turning to snow.
“The ice is bad on the county roads,” said Jay Schools superintendent Tim Long this morning.
Long said that perhaps by 2 p.m. some of the ice would melt, but that he wouldn’t risk safety.
“My primary concern will always be safety,” he said, noting that an initial decision about a delay or closing has to be made around 5 a.m. while a secondary decision has to be made by 9 a.m. if a three-hour delay was called.“That’s when we make our decision. Today, three hours wouldn’t have made any difference.
“We have 38 people that check these roads every morning — bus drivers, our transportation director, myself and other administrators,” Long said.
Although the schools have deemed the roads too much of a risk for students, staff and bus drivers, the county highway department is at a loss.
“I don’t know what they want from us,” said county engineer Dan Watson this morning. “I think yesterday there would have been no problems. It was probably a little slicker this morning than yesterday.
“When we get ice, we don’t have the funds to put salt on all these county roads,” Watson said. “I don’t know what they’re basing their decision on. I know there’s got to be slick spots.”
Long said he knows it is not financially feasible to spread salt and sand on every mile of road in the county when there is ice, but adds that if roads aren’t up to par, schools will be closed.
Watson said the highway department is doing the best it can and although roadways aren’t perfect, they are all passable if drivers use caution.
“We’re just limited with what we can do with the ice situation,” he said. “We salt most of the heavier traveled roads — 400 South, 200 South, 200 West. We really concentrate around the school. … We try to salt those every time we get ice.
“We cut our salt back like three-to-one — it’s like three parts sand and one part salt,” he said. “Even then we’re paying a lot for salt. … I’m not sure what the solution is short of getting enough money to put salt or stone on every road and that’s not going to happen.”
Both agreed that the biggest factor will be some sunlight and warmth to melt the ice down enough so that it can’t refreeze into a new layer overnight.
Today’s cancellation brings this year’s total to 10 days, with the estimated last day of classes for Jay Schools now falling on June 7.[[In-content Ad]]