By Lori Ehde
When the forecast calls for bad weather, Luverne School Transportation Director Lon Remme doesn't get much sleep. Neither does Superintendent Vince Schaefer.
"This morning, I left about 4 and rode around in some of the spots that tend to be rough, and I do some road checks myself," Remme said on a recent stormy day. "When I got back at 5, the superintendent was waiting for me."
Then, he and Schaefer get on the phone with other school districts to decide on a course of action.
"The weather can be perfect in Hills, and you head over the ridge by Hardwick and it's terrible," Remme said. He admitted the decisions to call off school are never easy.
"When you're sandwiched between two districts that have already decided on late starts, it puts you in a liability situation if you don't."
He said they rely heavily on weather forecasts, which aren't always so reliable.
"The last time we called school off for the day, the weather men weren't exactly right, and it turned out to be a beautiful day," Remme said. Sometimes the crystal ball doesn't work so well."
Regardless of the decision, it's never popular, according to Schaefer, who makes the final call. For example, snow days put strain on parents with day-care concerns, and it puts a strain on the sports and activities program, which needs to reschedule missed events.
If he makes the call to not cancel school, he's subject to criticism from safety pundits.
"I'm like a politician," he said. "You're subject to all that criticism.
He said he never pays attention to the activities schedule when making the decision.
"The bottom line is safety. We ask ourselves, what would you do for your own children?" he said.
"I always hope there will be another day for an activity, but if we lose a life trying to have an activity or event, we lose that person forever."