BELLEFONTE — Arctic temperatures and heavy snow have kept many students at home this week, but inconsistent decisions among local school districts have parents frustrated watching neighboring schools close or delay.

In response to complaints from parents in the Bald Eagle Area School District that students were left waiting at bus stops in frigid conditions, The Express analyzed how school delay and closure decisions differed among area districts over the past seven school days.

To see whether Bald Eagle’s decisions to open were unusual, we compared them with neighboring schools and other districts in our region. Across the six school districts we compared, which include State College, Phillipsburg-Osceola, Keystone Central, Bellefonte and Jersey Shore, we found wide disparities in how local schools handled the cold.

Since Thursday, Jan. 22, snow and below-freezing temperatures have prompted delays or cancellations each day in at least one district we evaluated.

It was only in the aftermath of the large winter storm over the weekend, on Monday and into Tuesday, that all six districts closed to some degree. Each school was shuttered on Monday, though Keystone Central and Jersey Shore had students learning online. On Tuesday, most schools opened two hours late, apart from Phillipsburg-Osceola and Keystone Central, which each opted for a full day of remote or flexible learning.

Of all the districts, State College and Phillipsburg-Osceola delayed or closed most often in the seven days we examined, for six days each. For the entirety of this week, both districts were either closed or operated on shortened schedules. The week prior, State College had a delay on Friday, while Phillipsburg-Osceola delayed school Thursday.

In the middle of the pack were Keystone Central and Jersey Shore, which closed or delayed classes just over half the time, or four of seven days. Of the six districts, Keystone Central used flexible learning days or cancellations most often, doing so on three of the four days with altered schedules. Jersey Shore had some of the most learning time, never closing entirely. The district opted for online learning on Monday, Jan. 26, and only ran delays on Jan. 22, 27 and 30.

Bellefonte and Bald Eagle altered their schedules least of all, closing only on Monday following the storm and delaying school on Tuesday morning. For both Bellefonte and Bald Eagle, Jan. 22 was a clerical day, and students were not scheduled to attend school. Both districts allowed teachers to work from home, according to their superintendents.

The Express reached out to Bellefonte Superintendent Roy Rakszawski and Bald Eagle Superintendent Christopher Santini to learn more about their guidelines for cancellations, early dismissals and delayed starts. Each superintendent referred the newspaper to documents that guide their decision-making.

Bellefonte’s guidelines state that once personnel identify a potential hazard or receive a weather alert, a decision is made based on the degree of risk. Key factors considered include travel conditions and the timing of the weather. For extreme cold — the hazardous condition responsible for most closures and delays this week — Bellefonte’s guidelines state the following:

“A general guideline for altering the school day due to extreme cold is a wind-chill factor of -20 degrees Fahrenheit. For example, an air temperature of -10 degrees Fahrenheit with a wind speed of 5 miles an hour could trigger a potential delayed start or closing,” the guidelines note.

These guidelines align with those used by school districts nationwide to prevent frostbite, which according to Michigan State, can develop in less than 15 minutes at those temperatures.

Usually, this decision is final, but in rare circumstances when a delay is implemented and weather conditions become more hazardous, school may be cancelled.

At Bald Eagle, the overarching question the superintendent considers when weighing a delay or cancellation is whether students and staff can get to school safely.

“Factors such as temperature, wind chill, presence of snow or ice, bus and van driver availability and ability of buses and vans to operate in the conditions are considered,” the memo Santini shared said. “Contractors have an opportunity to provide their opinion via text message or phone call if they disagree with the district’s decision, and I have had parents and students send me pictures of roads that needed to be addressed. There have been instances where that has changed our decision.”

Some of these factors are data-driven, while others are more subjective and left to the superintendent’s discretion.

On mornings when hazardous weather is anticipated, the superintendents of Penns Valley, Bellefonte, State College and Bald Eagle typically convene on an early-morning conference call to align their schedules, primarily to coordinate for students attending CPI.

“There are times where our weather and geography dictates we go our own way,” Santini wrote. “That has happened on some previous occasions this school year and last school year.”

On Friday, one of the coldest days of the year, Santini said he chose to keep schools open in part because of bus and van driver availability. He also cited rising temperatures, which remained in the negative single digits, as well as minimal wind and no precipitation, factors that reduced the risk of frostbite and hazardous road conditions.

Bald Eagle’s superintendent said that, while it is important for students to attend school as scheduled, parents ultimately have the right to decide what is best for their child.

So, “On days when the actual temperature is below zero, parents can choose the ‘weather’ option as a reason, and the absence will be considered excused unless the student was already habitually truant,” he said.

He added that the same would be true if roads are impassable.

He concluded his letter, which he said he plans to share with parents, with an anecdote that contextualizes his thought process.

On Friday, after assisting with door duty at Port Matilda Elementary, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Innovation Nevin Pighetti told Santini about former Superintendent Dan Fisher.

“On days when the weather was bitter cold, he reminded Mr. Pighetti that we have to think about ALL our students, including the ones who don’t have adequate heat or food at home. It was, and still is, important to get those students into a warm classroom, with breakfast and lunch,” Santini said. “I believe it is important for Bald Eagle Area to have our doors open on our scheduled school days to the highest extent possible, and that is a core value as an educator that I will always believe.”

For parents in the Bald Eagle Area School District who need assistance finding winter jackets, other cold-weather gear, or food, Santini encouraged families to contact Athletic Director Douglas Dyke at douglas.dyke@beasd.net or their school principal.

“We are fortunate to have charitable support from our community and local organizations,” the superintendent said.