The following message was emailed to MCPS families on January 22, 2025.
MCPS families,
It’s clear that there were plenty of community members who questioned the decision to have school on Tuesday of this week and plenty of others who questioned the decision for an NTI day today. Ultimately, it is my decision as to whether or not school is cancelled and it’s a responsibility I don’t take lightly.
I also think it’s important that this district helps the families we serve understand how and why those decisions are made if for no other reason than to shed light on the operations of the school district they fund.
Based on weather forecasts, input from our transportation department, and all the information available, I felt we were able to safely have school on Tuesday using a normal schedule. We typically don’t make announcements when things are not changing, but the district shared a social media post saying we’d operate on a normal schedule because we’d received questions after surrounding districts had cancelled school. By all accounts, that day went very smoothly. Going into today, temperatures were expected to drop to a point that our area could likely enter cold weather warning conditions. For that reason, I made the decision to use an NTI day. However, it wasn’t a clear-cut decision because there are so many issues that can easily complicate matters.
For example, we have students who gather at pick-up spots and wait for the bus to arrive because they live in developments where a bus can’t meet them at their front door. Waiting outside in the cold can be problematic. We also have students for whom a school building is the warmest -- physically and emotionally -- place they’ll be all week . For them, staying home can be problematic.
Road conditions throughout the county can differ dramatically. As someone who occasionally fills in as a substitute bus driver, I can attest to this. For those familiar with our county roads, it’s not uncommon for Rush Branch to look very different than Homestead Valley. What may seem like a typical day on one end of the county can look very different on the other end. To give you an idea of how much ground they cover, each day our buses travel a combined mileage equivalent to going from the east coast to the west coast of the country.
Most of you would agree, the very best education we can offer our young people happens in-person. That’s why if you compare this district to others nearby you’ll notice we tend to use NTI days less frequently. But there are those locally -- sometimes families, sometimes employees -- who think we should use them more often.
I write all this to point out that cancelling school, delaying the start of schools, or using an NTI day is never a simple decision, and difficult decisions rarely please everyone. But I want to emphasize that these decisions are always made with student safety and student learning in mind. If you’ve spent much time reading social media comments lately, you know not everyone has agreed with the decisions I’ve made this week.
I understand.
But to be clear, I don’t view social media comments as the best indication of public sentiment. The angry words of a few often distorts public perception and occasionally reality.
In fact, my larger concern is how online commentary might affect our efforts to attract, retain, and recruit great teachers to this district. It’s important to remember that teachers aren’t just choosing to work for an employer; they’re choosing to work for a community. Let’s hope any potential teachers aren’t misled by online comments and fail to recognize how neighborly and supportive this community is.
I’m hopeful that the worst of winter weather is behind us, but we all know that it can be short-sighted to doubt the possibility of odd weather in Kentucky.
So while I can’t promise perfect weather for the rest of this school year, I will continue to make informed decisions that reflect this district’s priorities: student safety and student learning.
Chris Brady
Superintendent
Marion County Public Schools