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ARENAC COUNTY — Area school superintendents say they are ready for what winter has to offer this school year.
All four school districts, Arenac Eastern, AuGres-Sims, Pinconning, and Standish-Sterling are offering quick and timely ways to help inform parents of school closings and keep students and staff safe during the winter months.
Arenac Eastern School District
At the Arenac Eastern School District Superintendent Bill Grusecki said the district uses SchoolMessenger, a program used to communicate with parents quickly.
“We update our (contact) system every year,” he said. “Parents will receive a phone call and an e-mail if they choose that option.”
Grusecki said that before making the decision to cancel school, he will talk to other area superintendents, the district’s lead bus driver and will personally check the roads.
“Our main goal is student and staff safety,” he said. “Most of the (students) in our district ride the bus, so we have to be aware of that.”
AuGres-Sims School District
AuGres-Sims School District Superintendent Anne Doriean said the district also uses SchoolMessenger.
“We notify local radio stations and television,” she said. “But we use SchoolMessenger to contact all of our parents.”
Doriean said that SchoolMessenger will automatically call to any phone a parent has in the system, as well as leave a message in their e-mail.
“It’s a very quick system,” she said. “Parents will be notified within five to eight minutes.”
Doriean said she looks at the weather conditions in the entire area when it comes to making a school-closing decision.
“It may be snowing in Standish, but it might not be bad here,” she said. “We have to make the best decision for our student and staff safety.”
Doriean said that it is important for students and parents to remember to check to see if Bay City Public Schools are closed, because that means that the Bay-Arenac ISD Career Center is closed.
Pinconning Area Schools
Pinconning Area Schools Superintendent Darren Kroczaleski said his district will continue to use the same system that has been in place for the past few years.
“We have a calling system that goes out to all of our households,” he said. “We also inform the local radio and television stations.”
Kroczaleski said that the automated phone system can reach households within five to 10 minutes after the message is sent.
He said that he will also travel the roads in the morning, checking for safe driving conditions.
“I get out at around 3 a.m. and physically travel the roads,” Kroczaleski said. “Sometimes it can be challenging.”
Standish-Sterling Community Schools
Standish-Sterling Community Schools Superintendent Michael Dodge said that his district has used SchoolMessenger for the past three years.
“It’s a good system because we can reach the parents of almost all of our 1,700 students within an hour,” he said.
Dodge said that SchoolMessenger is not only good for informing parents during inclement weather; it is a good tool for to get information out in any situation.
“We would use it if there were any trouble at the school,” he said. “For example, if there was a gas leak in a pipe, we could get the message to parents quickly.”
Dodge said that the system also allows the district to single out and contact a certain school club or team. Adding that if a team were to play a game a game in an area where there was bad weather, the parents would be contacted.
The only problem Dodge said he has with SchoolMessenger is that not all students parents are easily reachable.
“Not all of our parents have a regular phone number. We reach about 75 percent to 85 percent of all parents,” he said.
Dodge said the service costs around $2 a student, adding that the service is renewed every year.
When it comes to making the decision whether to close schools, Dodge said he talks with the school district’s bus manager of 25 years.
“We talk about the situation and make our decision,” he said. “The (students) always get excited for snow, but they need to root for ice if they want to see school canceled. Snow is not as much of a concern as ice is.”
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