Rolling in
the deep…
snow
The decision to have or not have school
in questionable weather rests with
Superintendent Mark Penny. Although
Penny relies on team members such as his
Director of Transportation and two assistant
superintendents for information, the Lincoln
County R-III Superintendent ultimately
makes the call.
“Weather is an emotional issue. We
have the parents’ most precious cargo.
If I’m going to make a decision to have
school, I need my own peace of mind that
I did everything I could to make the right
decision,” he said. Making that decision
comes with late nights and early mornings
for Penny and his team.
On questionable weather days, Penny is
up late watching the forecasts and driving
the roads in the evening. He also wakes
up at 3:45 AM to drive the roads. Penny,
Assistant Superintendent Todd Culbertson
and Transportation Director Mike Francisco
split the Lincoln County R-III District into
three areas to drive roads. During that
time, he communicates with his team as
well as superintendents from neighboring
districts. Once Penny has made a decision
to not have school he calls Community
Relations Specialist April Bryant to launch
the SchoolMessenger call, notify local media,
post the closure on Facebook, Twitter and
the R-III District website.
In the 2013-14 school year, the R-III
District had several inclement weather days.
The school calendar is made two years in
advance and make-up days are listed
on that calendar. For the past four
years, the R-III District has had
Martin Luther King Jr. Day and
Presidents Day as make-up days
one and two. Last year, the R-III
District added a third make-up day on
the Monday after Easter. Additional
inclement weather days are added
on the end of the school year.
In 2006, administrators used a phone chain to notify 603 employees of school
closures. In 2011, the Lincoln County R-III School District added Facebook and
Twitter to their method of parent communication.
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Prior to 2007,
the Lincoln County
R-III School District
only notified
parents through the
television & radio.