Marshfield Bus Service and School District Work Together When Deciding to Close Schools
As snow and sleet fell in abundance on the Marshfield area today, students enjoyed a snow day. The decision to close school is a joint effort between Marshfield School District and Marshfield Bus Service.
“We coordinate our efforts with the school district,” said Verlyn Randt, General Manager at Marshfield Bus Service. “In the early mornings, if it’s something that happens overnight, we go out and travel the roads, see what the conditions are, and try to make the best decision from that.”
Last night, Randt contacted the School District, which was already discussing closing.
“The decision was made to close and I was good with that,” said Randt, adding that the two entities have always been in agreement about the decision to close. “We have never come to an impasse where one is saying yes or one is saying no.”
Though Randt and the District ultimately work together to make the decision to close, they always consult multiple resources, including forecasts, radar, and other opinions.
“It’s a joint venture- it’s not one-sided and it’s mutually agreed upon,” he said. “There are a lot of things that go into it. A lot of opinions. Everybody plays devil’s advocate. We use lots of references but ultimately it’s the decision of those two entities: school district and bus service.”
Sometimes, as was the case last night, it can be hard to tell if the weather is going to affect Marshfield directly, but in the interest of safety, school was cancelled.
“Given the current weather situation, we made the right call,” said Randt.
He added that early-out situations are often more challenging, and the goal is to get everyone home safely before visibility becomes an issue.
“Everybody is looking at everybody’s safety, and not just the buses. We’re looking at the kids that are walking to school, that are driving to school. We’re looking out for the safety of everyone involved across the board,” said Randt. “When you have bad road conditions, even if the buses get through, can the other cars stop? Is there enough visibility to see the buses?”
