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By BONNIE ADAMS badams@leader.net
Friday, March 07, 2003 Page: 1A
School superintendents on Thursday said the snow hit heavier and earlier
than they expected, making it difficult to decide whether to cancel, delay or
dismiss.
“Whatever we did this morning, we were wrong,” said Lake-Lehman School
District Superintendent Robert Roberts on Thursday afternoon. He was summoned
to a bus crash in which five Lehman students were taken to the hospital.
Ninth-grader Amanda Supey was among those students. Her mother, Diane
Supey, said X-rays showed her 15-year-old daughter did not have broken bones.
“I’m glad they did take her to the hospital,” she said.
Roberts and other superintendents said they typically discuss road
conditions with each other, transportation managers, bus contractors and
police departments before making weather-related decisions.
“They would never jeopardize children’s lives,” Supey said of the district.
Roberts said he did not delayed classes because the forecast called for
only an inch of snow by 9 a.m. By then, most Lake-Lehman students are already
in school.
He said there was barely a snowflake at 7 a.m. Around 7:45 a.m. however, a
sport-utility vehicle struck a school bus on Mountain View Road.
Lehman Township police Chief Howard Kocher said the sport-utility vehicle
slid across the center line on a curve and struck the front of the bus. He
said five of 30 junior and senior high students complained of minor pain and
were taken to area hospitals as a precaution. Kocher would not release the
students’ names.
He said SUV driver Ashley Yanchick, 19, of Lehman Township was taken to
Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, where a hospital spokeswoman said she
was treated and released. Student Amanda Cooper was treated and released at
Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, a spokesman said. Bus driver Jeff Oncay, 40,
was not injured, Kocher said.
The National Weather Service’s forecast Wednesday night called for an
accumulation of less than an inch overnight with 2 to 4 inches total on
Thursday. Some local weather forecasts had called for 1 to 3 inches. The
service in Binghamton, N.Y., said 6 inches fell in Luzerne/Lackawanna
counties.
Roberts said about 5 1/2 inches of snow fell near the administrative
offices by early afternoon. He said he and Dallas Superintendent Gilbert
Griffiths reached a decision after school started.
“We’re not leaving kids out in the middle of a storm,” Roberts said. They
were among the districts that kept children all day while others dismissed
early.
Hanover Area Superintendent Alberta Griffiths said that during a morning
lull in the snow, she decided to dismiss early. High school students were
dismissed first so they would be home when younger siblings arrived.
The snow began coming down steadily again before dismissals.
“I made the best decision I could make at the time,” Griffiths said, but
added, “You can’t win.”
Crestwood School District canceled classes before school started.
Superintendent Ted Geffert was not available for comment.
In Wilkes-Barre Area, Bear Creek parent Carl Lisowski said he felt anxious
until his son and daughter arrived home from an early dismissal at about 1
p.m.
“Thank God they’re safe,” he said after they walked in the door at 2:15
p.m. Lisowski said that perhaps administrators should have delayed school
Thursday morning and canceled classes when the weather worsened.
Wilkes-Barre Area Superintendent Jeff Namey said he expected light snow
from 7 to 9 a.m., but the snow started early and was heavy.
“Everyone’s been wrong,” he said of forecasters.
Namey said Meyers High School teacher G.G. Wolensky was in a crash while
driving to school. He said her car hit a pole but she was able to drive to
school. Namey said she went to the hospital as a precaution.
Namey and Roberts said that no matter how many or few snow days are left
throughout the school year, student safety is their primary concern in making
weather-related decisions.
“This has nothing to do with trying to get a day in,” Namey said.
Namey said he had not planned to delay the start of school on Thursday, but
had considered keeping students until the end of the day when roads might be
clearer.
As the snow continued falling at 11:20 a.m., Namey debated what to do with
secondary students. They had originally been scheduled for a 1 p.m. dismissal
for parent-teacher conferences. Namey canceled the conferences and later
decided on an early dismissal for all students.
“I have to base it on the information I have at the time,” he said.
Bonnie Adams, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7241.