Due to the inclement weather forecasted with wind chills reaching well below zero, the Wentzville School District has announced Tuesday, Jan. 16 as a snow day. It marks the first snow day of the school year. 

At around 5 p.m. on Jan. 15, the Wentzville School District made the executive decision to cancel school for the day due to the inclement weather with the biggest concern being the cold temperatures and wind chill reaching into the negatives.

With temperatures ranging from anywhere between freezing and a few degrees above freezing, it was a tough decision to make. Other local neighboring districts such as Fort Zumwalt and Troy also closed for tomorrow. Francis Howell was already scheduled off due to a teacher work day.

How are snow days determined?

Most people assume it’s the superintendent, Dr. Danielle S. Tormala, who has all the power and decision making in deciding a snow day. And while that is true, she doesnt work alone. 

The superintendent, along with some assistant attendants, are each given a route. These attendants drive around the WSD schools at around 3 a.m and evaluate how safe the roads and schools are to access. 

From there, all attendants discuss what they think is the right choice regarding each route driven. The superintendent then makes the final call on what the outcome should be. The WSD also often discusses with other school districts nearby to see what their input is. 

Will the snow day affect the end date of the school year?

The WSD’s master schedule has six built in snow days. Meaning that there are six days that are available to be used as “days off.” Because of this the last day of school remains the same unless there are more than six snow days an academic year. 

In the case of more than six snow days, those days would in fact be added on to the school year, making the WSD’s last day of school extended by one day per extra day used.