The Williamson County School officials revealed how they make the tough decision to close schools because of snow and ice.
There are local maintenance and road crews who report in as a winter weather event is happening, but also, school officials, like Deputy Director Jason Golden, will make their own recommendations to the board.
"Once an event has happened, we actually have spotters, our maintenance department, our transportation department drives some of the routes. We have usual suspect roads that are usually the last ones to be resolved after the last freeze," said Golden.
Many areas and back roads in the county were still covered in snow and ice, despite the snow melt, Tuesday.
"We're looking for the pack to see if it's snow or if it's ice," said Golden. "If it's ice, it's very difficult for a bus. Also, traffic lights, stop signs, coming to a stop can be difficult for a bus. Also, on an elevation, if you at a stop sign and there's an uphill grade, it's very difficult for a bus to get started if there's snow or ice underneath the bus."
There are 40,000 students in Williamson county. The school buses reach almost every area in the school system. Golden said it's important to take the safety of those kids seriously.
"We have about 250 buses that run across the county," he said. "The county roads alone are ... 723 total miles."
