Wake County must consider all schools and road conditions when deciding to reopen

Wake County students had Monday off, and Tuesday will be a remote learning day as the roads continue to thaw out from this weekend’s snowstorm.

Most Wake County students will make up the day on Monday, Feb. 16. However, Wake STEM students will make up the day on Tuesday, Feb. 17. Year-round track 3 students will not make up the day since they are not in session this week.

While most major highways and roadways are clear, some side roads were not in great shape as of Tuesday.

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Decision to reopen has to consider all schools

Wake County schools spokesperson Lisa Luten said the main concern at this point is the conditions of the neighborhoods. School buses need to be able to drive through those neighborhoods to get to bus stops. 

Although some school campuses and roads are in better shape than others, the district's decision has to consider all schools in the county. Michael Hokenberg, principal of Davis Drive Middle School, said many students and staff travel across the county.

"I have staff member that live in Sanford, some that are commuting from 30 miles away ... so it's the taking the totality of everything into consideration for the decision," he said.

Wake County parent Sandra Sotelo said she trusts the leadership at the Wake County Public School System.

“I think they’ve done a good job,” Sotelo said. “Safety is obviously the most important thing. If people are unsafe driving on the road, then that’s the call they need to make. It’s nothing they can control in terms of the weather. I just think we take it one step at a time and hope there won’t be a lot of makeup days.”

Wake County staff (principals, administrators and maintenance teams) look at road conditions and will check when it’s unclear. They also follow the guidance from the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

“We always start with walking around and taking an overall view of what we have on our campus in the different areas,” Hokenberg said. “Morning time is the best time to take a look because that's going to give us the best idea of what the campus is going to look like the following morning.”

Hokenberg said he lives close to the middle school, so he can walk over if travel conditions are poor. He said the principals also speak with the area superintendents.

“We'll all report back and let him know where we are at, what our concerns are, if any,” Hokenberg said.

A social media post from the district also showed school campuses still covered in snow from the weekend storm.     

"Even though the snow has stopped, many areas are still shaded, and there’s still ice covering parking lots, sidewalks, and walkways leading into buildings," the post reads. 

WRAL News asked the district: If some areas are clearer than others, can some campuses still open while others are closed? The district spokesperson said it’s possible, but not likely since many students and staff go to schools far from their homes.

"It is also important to note that not all students and employees attend or work at schools in their immediate neighborhoods," Luten explained in an email. "As a result, thousands of students and employees travel significant distances each morning, often crossing multiple communities with varying road conditions and weather impacts."