In students’ opinions, school has closed on days when it is cold, but they did not close when everything was covered in ice.

“Because of the delay, DECA could not have their competition,” said senior Jayla Corley.

The ice may not have been a thick sheet that would have resulted in closing school, but the ice was bad enough the school should have been delayed to make travel safer.

“I thought I was going to slip and fall every five feet,” said freshman Daniel Bucklew.

So why did we not have a delay? As of 8:30 Thursday morning, there were exactly 100 closing/delay notifications on the WHIO website, along with Champaign County having a level 1 snow emergency.

“I did not want to come to school…the roads were very slippery,” said senior Derrick Butler.

The weather forecast for Thursday, January 29, showed low temperatures and precipitation starting as rain and turning into snow. By 8:40 am there was a small amount freezing rain.

On the way to school, there were four accidents on Southway Road and a semi turned over on eastbound I-70. At least one of those accidents involved students, who said that no one was hurt.

The superintendent, who makes the call to delay or close, said the lack of a delay was just a matter of timing.

“Those administrators who drive between 4:30 am-5:45 am to advise me about road conditions reported that we just had rain. We usually get a call from the city that the salt trucks are out to help us with our decision, but the timing didn’t allow for that call,” said superintendent Dr. Sarah Zatik.

According to Dr. Zatik, after 6:15 am, it is too late for the Northmont district to notify parents, as buses are already on the road. However, she reminds everyone parents are entitled to make the first call. If parents feel it is unsafe, they have the right to drive students late, or excuse them for the day.