On Monday, Jan. 11 the roads were covered with ice while students and staff questioned why there wasn’t a delay with the hazardous conditions. Perry Township superintendent Dr. Tom Little is the one on the phone when students get a call that lets them know that school is either cancelled or delayed. What most don’t know is that there are more qualifications that go into calling a cancellation or delay than what appears.

Many more people are involved in making the decision to cancel or delay school. Little takes the safety of all staff and students throughout the district into consideration when deciding he doesn’t do it all by himself.

“When you make those decisions, you realize you are affecting the lives of thousands of people,” Little said. “It’s a very complex decision.”

Little says that he monitors the weather reports from the night before and he also goes out and drives the roads with two other people from maintenance and transportation. They drive different areas throughout the district and then they come together and discuss whether it is safe to go to school or not.

As of Monday, if school were to be closed anytime this week, it would not affect the Martin Luther King Day holiday next Monday, Jan. 18. The following snow make-up day is when it would be made up, which falls on President’s Day. He says that he understands that people might already have plans in place for the holiday. When making a decision like cancelling or delaying school, there will be a conference call between him and other superintendents around Indiana.

“Sometimes (the conditions) are similar in Marion county, but other times they aren’t,” Little said. “Northern Marion county could have much different road conditions than the south part of Indianapolis.”

During these situations, Little says they try to have a decision made and ready to announce no later than 5:10 a.m.