Written by 
Several Knox County parents said online that it’s unsafe for their children to walk to school or wait for the bus in below-freezing temperatures.
KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — Several schools throughout East Tennessee are delayed or closed due to cold temperatures, ice and snow. Some parents in Knox County are asking why schools weren’t closed for their children.
They are asking what considerations go into place to determine whether it’s safe for students to go to school. Several parents listed their children live within parent responsibility zones meaning it’s up to the parents to get them to school. Some of those students have to walk and with temperatures below freezing outside, some parents don’t think that’s safe. Others had to wait 10 to 20 minutes Tuesday for delayed buses.
10News took some of these concerns to Knox County Schools’ Superintendent Jon Rysewyk.
Rysewyk said the school system works to communicate with parents as quickly and accurately as possible. However, he said they don’t take the role of the parent when deciding how a student will get to school.
“They make adjustments just like we all do when it comes to weather. So we have a lot of faith in what our parents and families are doing and making sure that they get students to those bus stops if that’s the case. We feel really good working with our contractors that our buses are up and warm and ready to go when they get on there,” he said.
He said the school works closely with its contractors to ensure buses meet safety standards and that drivers feel safe before taking their routes.
Before determining whether to delay or cancel school, Rysewyk said there’s a team of people that communicate conditions including their chief of security, the transportation director, the maintenance and facility director, assistant superintendents and other local agencies.
He said since the roads are clear from ice and snow, their concern shifts to facilities. Rysewyk said they checked that facilities had power, water, heat and electricity to ensure safety.
Some other considerations they take include whether bus routes are safe to drive on, the unpredictable weather in East Tennessee, students who rely on school for two meals a day and that some parents have difficulty providing care when school’s out.
“Safety is always our number one concern. Then we try to make the best decisions we can because it is important that students are in school. When they can be in school, it’s a safe place for a lot of people. There’s a lot of services provided there and our job is to make sure they’re all learning,” Rysewyk said.
Rysewyk has a new podcast, ‘The Education Blueprint’ talking about important topics in education. The first episode airs Wednesday with its first guest 10News Chief Meteorologist Todd Howell to talk about the snow day decision-making process.