Calling a Virtual Day

By: Aleks Stacy

Since the beginning of 2020, students have had plenty of virtual days to understand that a virtual day can be called a few days or just several hours before the virtual school day starts. But when virtual days are called, many ask how the days are decided.

A variable that goes into having a virtual day or cancellation first is the weather. If there is an excess amount of fog, snow, or and extremely chilling temperature, it can have an effect on the school day.

“At 5AM, Paul Widman and myself are checking weather and road conditions every day by driving the county roads,” said Culver Superintendent Karen Shuman. “At 5:30AM,  or sometimes the night before, superintendents from around the area are letting each other know what they are doing.”

However, Culver does not base their delays off of neighboring schools. 

“I base it on our conditions. The lake has a large impact, which makes our conditions different from other schools around us. Plus, State Road 8 seems to be a dividing line of different conditions when it is compared to the north, and state road 14 to the south,” said Karen Shuman.

Unfortunately, for juniors and seniors who go to vocationals, varying decisions between schools can affect their schedule.

“It [virtual day] results in me having to wake up at the same time I normally would on a two-hour delay and drive myself to my vocational,” said senior Landon Kuykendoll. “Then I get back to the school around 11:30 and wait in the study hall until lunch begins. After that, I usually have to sit in study hall for one period before my normal schedule starts. If Knox has a two hour delay, vocational students don’t go to  the vocational at all and stay in study hall all day until our schedule starts.”

Across the board, everyone can be affected which makes cancellations tricky.