Old man winter put the freeze on school districts across northern Michigan Monday, but one district kept its doors open.
GLEN LAKE -- The winter weather shut down many schools across northern Michigan Monday. While 135 districts made the call to close school for the day, leaders in Glen Lake decided to keep the doors open.
Joan Groening, Superintendent of Glen Lake Community Schools, says school leaders and transportation officials discuss the road conditions when a school closure is in question. Groening says she reviewed the process with bus drivers and others Monday morning to make sure the right call was made. She says Glen Lake had less snowpack that surrounding areas, so the area was not as impacted by the rainfall.
Bus drivers reported road conditions were drivable Monday morning, and also said that many students who usually drive to school took the bus instead.
The rest of the schools on the Leelanau Peninsula make the school closing call as a group, which is why Northport, Lake Leelanau St. Mary's, Leland and Suttons Bay all closed together Monday.
Groening says it's a difficult decision, especially considering many are School of Choice students and live outside the district.
"Each year when calling snow days I struggle in making the call when the weather or traveling conditions within the District are different from our neighboring areas. I have advised SOC families, in particular, that if it is not safe to travel when GL schools is in session, please stay home. I would certainly advocate for your student to receive an excused absence from school due to weather and travel conditions rather than have you travel and put your child or yourself in harm's way when you felt it was not safe on the roads," said Joan Groening, Superintendent of Glen Lake Community Schools.
Groening says about 19 families kept their children home from school Monday for weather concerns. Thirteen of those families were Schools of Choice who live outside the district.
