Spokane Schools Respond To Decision To Keep Schools Open, On Tim - Spokane, North Idaho News & Weather KHQ.com

SPOKANE, Wash – It's a tough call for any school district to make this time of year, and sometimes the wrong call is made.

That's what the Spokane Public Schools says happened Monday morning, when nearly 7 inches of snow fell across the metro area – but the forecast called for less

"We were taken a bit by surprise," said spokesperson Terren Roloff.  "We did go out this morning around 5:00 a.m. and check for the traffic conditions, and felt that we could get through the morning fairly easily, and in fact, that wasn't the case."

That's because the weather continued to get worse after that call was made – and after the busses had already left.  About half the busses ended up needing to put on chains, but still, 20 of them got stuck, and 6 were in minor accidents.

Nobody was hurt, but some students had to wait out in the snow a very long time.

"Unfortunately we had some students that had to wait about an hour and a half," Roloff added.  "Most of them weren't that long of a wait, but yes, it was a difficult morning for all of us, and we feel badly for those kids that had to do that."

Many parents were upset over the issue, including some who thought school should have been cancelled in Coeur D'Alene.

While it was in several smaller rural districts, there is no hard and fast rule as far as how much snow will force a delay or closure – it all depends on the conditions, and the timing.

A good rule of thumb is, if you don't feel like your child can get to school safely, keep him or her home for the day.