When any sort of possible inclement weather shows up in a weekly forecast, students, staff and parents speculate as to whether or not there will be a snow day (or in recent cases a “cold” day). What some don’t realize is that there is a pretty involved process that the administration of Antioch Community High School and other schools in our area use to make these decisions.

At ACHS, the decision ultimately comes from the superintendent, currently Jim McKay. McKay uses three sources when determining if conditions are going to be safe enough to hold school. These include the National Weather Service reports, reports from the local Director of Emergency Services and discussions with superintendents from other Lake County schools.

The Director of Emergency Services provides area-specific weather reports and alerts. Through these various reports, the administration is able to get a clear idea of what the weather will be like and if it is necessary to close school in order to protect the safety of students. Though the decision may not be unanimous throughout the county, the ability of the different officials to compare information helps lead to more informed decisions overall.

The school community should also be aware that the state of Illinois requires schools to make up days missed due to weather by mandating that the first five days missed be built back into the schedule. If a school were to accumulate more than five snow days, it could apply for a waiver that would allow the school to not have to make up more days.

Though this means that the school calendar will have to be altered to account for the four days that have been missed so far this semester, the graduation date for seniors will not be moved.