NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WKBW) — With a week of chilling temperatures in the mid-to-low-teens approaching Western New York, school superintendents are closely monitoring weather conditions ahead of any potential cancellation decisions.
Superintendents Mark Laurrie of the Niagara Falls City School District and Jeff Jachlewski of the North Tonawanda City School District are in charge of closure decisions at their schools as the region braces for potentially dangerous wind chills.
"What really is the focus is the windchill, specifically at the time of arrival to school. That's the number one concern," Laurrie said.
"When we see windchill factors of -20, that's absolutely an area where nobody wants to be walking outside," Jachlewski said. "Last thing we want is any of our kids to experience frostbite.”
"The colder it is, the lower the windchill factor and the less covered and protected you are, the faster that you're going to develop these adverse outcomes of cold temperatures. The faster you develop frostbite and even hypothermia," Erie County Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein said.''
WATCH: 'Last thing we want is frostbite': Schools prepare for cold snap as temperatures begin to drop
Q: "A lot of people say, 'they cancel school way more often than when I was a kid'."
Laurrie: “We do, we do close school more often. I have to look at where we are today, not 20 years ago. Fewer parents drive their kids to school; we live in a litigious society; there is nothing that can substitute for the injury or frostbite of a child.”
Jachlewski: "I don't remember a lot of snow days as a kid. I felt like we went to school no matter what, but I'm probably wrong. It's probably the nostalgia factor of it all. But certainly, I think we keep better track of what's going on with the weather."
Both superintendents said they aim to announce any potential school closures the night before, providing families with enough time to prepare.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
