November 29, 2023
from Dr. Bill Hudson, head of school
Of all the decisions I must make as head of school, there is one that I dread the most: calling a snow day. As a child, nothing was more magical than awakening to heavy snowfall, racing to the TV, and anxiously awaiting the name of my school to scroll across the bottom of the screen. While I still consider a snow day magical, deciding to close school is difficult and complicated. Someone once told me that if a leader tries to make everyone happy, they are not doing their job. This is particularly true in making weather-related decisions. Inevitably, someone is not going to be happy.
The decision to cancel school for an inclement weather-related event (which could be snow, ice, or sub-zero temperatures) is made by the head of school in consultation with the administrative team. The most important criterion is the safety of our community, which has 580 students and more than 100 employees who live in 82 different zip codes in six counties throughout the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The second criterion is to honor in-person learning. The number of school days is based on our mission and values, on what we believe best supports student learning, and on the needs of our community. Snow days are an interruption, and we would prefer not to have any interruptions.
Whenever possible, my goal is to decide by 6 AM at the latest. If a snow day is called, it is communicated by text, phone, email, the school’s website, and local television stations. Because MPA draws from such a large geographic area, it is not uncommon for the weather to vary, sometimes significantly. School closing or delay decisions are based on a number of factors:
- Weather forecast
- Timing of the event (morning or afternoon drive time)
- Road conditions (MDOT traffic cams)
- Feedback from First Student (our bus company), District 622, and peer schools
- Feedback from Admin Team members (who live in areas across the metro)
- Areas affected (we draw students from 82 zip codes)
- Building conditions
- Parking lot conditions