With the snowy weather last Thursday Jan. 5, there was increased traffic, a few fender benders and an overall stress for Oakville High School’s young drivers. Many students and parents were wondering why school was still in session.

The Mehlville School District’s snow policy states that any day cancelled for snow will be added to the end of the year. Last year, the District implemented a new snow policy including a two hour late start possibility for the days where weather is harsh in the morning, but becomes more pleasant later on. This has not been used yet and many wondered why this was not used in what seemed to be a perfect opportunity.

“I think it would’ve been beneficial to have a late start so that no one would feel as rushed with this traffic, and for those who do live further away from school would feel safer driving and would give time for the roads to all be salted and clear,” Tori Jones (11) said.

Students who left early were able to arrive to school on time, but others were not as fortunate. Several had a hard time finding and getting into their parking spot since students could not see the lines on the lot, parents took time out their day to drive students to school, and a few buses were late coming to school as well.

Many parents emailed, called, and contacted the central office to question the decision of keeping school in session, later that day the central office sent an email explaining their decision.

The email to the parents from the district stated, “Beginning at 4 a.m., Superintendent Dr. Chris Gaines and Transportation Director Dan Gilman drove more than 30 miles on roads in the district to get a firsthand look at the conditions.The superintendent also had conference calls with school superintendents in neighboring districts (Lindberg, Bayless, Afton and Hancock) to share each of them had observed. As a group, they decided that that a 2 hour late start was not necessary due to the weather conditions.”

The snow schedule’s new feature has yet to be tested; however, with the winter months to come, that may soon change.