Following snow day Monday, JCPS cancels 2 more days of classes due to winter storm

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Due to snowy and icy streets from a weekend winter storm, Jefferson County Public Schools canceled classes for at least two additional days.

Over the weekend, JCPS made the decision to cancel school Monday. Then Monday, JCPS went ahead and announced school would continue to be called off Tuesday and Wednesday.

"We do know that there are families where both parents have to still go to work," Carolyn Callahan, the district's chief communications officer, said Monday. "They're essential workers and they need to be there. So we wanted to give families and staff enough time to make that planning for Tuesday and Wednesday."

She said JCPS maintenance and operations teams are working 12-hour shifts checking roads, sidewalks and bus stops. They're also plowing school entrances and exits and making sure no buildings lose power or have any frozen/busted pipes.

"We're looking at what roadways, what they are looking like ... what our bus stop locations are looking like," Callahan said. "We're looking at the temperatures. We know that it's going to stay really cold. So just because we plow one area doesn't mean then that slush or other weather or water isn't re-freezing. So then we have another issue where we have go to back out with salt and then we have to clear that away again."

It's too soon to make a determination for school Thursday and Friday, but because the district was finishing up its two-week winter break when the storm hit, any day off during this timeframe will be a traditional snow day, not a day with virtual instruction.

Callahan said these snow days will likely not have an impact on summer break.

"We have fives days that are built into our calendar always," she said. "We used one of those days that the board has forgiven when we took that day off on Sept. 27 for the hurricane," she explained. "So we have four left. So these three days that we have now — these snow days — can be forgiven by the board. So, as of right now, as long as the board forgives those, which we expect that they would, we have no change to our last day of school at this point."