The snow keeps coming and a pair of area school superintendents have never seen anything quite like it.
"This is the most snow for the longest period of time that I can remember," Rolling Hills Superintendent Thomas Perkins said.
"This is the most we've had in the nine years I've been in the district," East Muskingum Superintendent James Heagen said.
As of Monday, East Muskingum had missed nine scheduled school days and Rolling Hills, 13.
Both caught a break on Monday because the day was scheduled off because of President's Day.
Also, East Muskingum students were scheduled to be off Tuesday because of an in-service training day for teachers.
On Monday morning, as forecasts for significant snowfall were coming in, Heagen was wrestling with a decision about whether to cancel the training session.
"We have to decide whether it's even safe for our staff to come in," he said. "We do have some planned presenters coming in from Athens and Columbus. If we cancel, we will have to add another professional day at the end of the [school] year."
Also, on Monday morning, he was considering whether to cancel a basketball game slated for that night.
"In all likelihood, it will be canceled," he said. "You almost have to base that decision on the forecast."
Rolling Hills has two make-up days built into its schedule. The rest will be made up at the end of the school year.
All of East Muskingum's missed days -- beyond the five calamity days allowed by the state -- will be made up at the end of the school year.
"That was our plan and we're going to stick with it," Heagen said. "Once you have a plan and you announce it to the public, you stick to it."
East Muskingum was closed six consecutive days most recently and some parents may have believed that school could have been in session on some of the closed days.
That impression may be particularly strong, Heagen said, among the families who live on main thoroughfares such as Route 40.
"If you don't live on or have the opportunity to drive on the back roads, you don't get a true perspective," he said.
"The township trustees do a great job with their resources. But they have miles and miles of roads to maintain with very limited resources."
Both superintendents admit that this winter has offered some trying times, but are at ease with the decisions they have made.
"There have been a lot of sleepless nights," Heagen said. "But, in the end, you make good, safe decisions."
(jlowe@daily-jeff.com)
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