The Parkway School district gets four free snow days a year, although they are not always put to use.

There are four days built into the school calendar for use when  absolutely necessary. Principal Dr. Jeremy Mitchell has been involved in making the decisions about whether or not to call a snow day, and the schedule behind each option.

The decisions are generally not made with just upper level employees, as both teachers and student voices are taken into account.

“I work with teachers and students to determine how to rearrange schedules when a day of school is missed,” Mitchell said.

The decision is made by Dr. Keith Marty, Parkway Superintendent, but even he does not make it alone.

“While Dr. Marty makes the ultimate decision, he speaks to our Transportation Director as well as other area school officials to ensure the best decision possible,” Mitchell said.

If inclement weather is reported, the decision comes down to when and where it will affect the St. Louis area. If it can be cleared by 9:30 a.m., a modified late start is used instead of an entire snow day.

“A short day allows some consistency, especially when inclement weather returns often in a short period of time,” Mitchell said.

However, sophomore Kaleigh Riggs disagrees with the scheduling of a short day.

“I think you don’t even have time to learn enough in short days, so we might as well not have school,” Riggs said.

Snow days have been the only option in years past, and they are still necessary when the weather prohibits buses and students from safely getting to school throughout the day.

“Personally I believe that it is nice to have snow days because it isn’t really affecting our education, as one day will not make a difference, and it is dangerous to drive to school or wait outside in the cold for a bus,” Riggs said.

Having a late start instead of a snow day is a new concept this year, and is being tried as an alternative.

“I think it’s easier on everybody to just call it a day instead of having people rearrange their whole schedules to be able to get to school at 9:30 a.m., when we probably won’t do anything anyways,” junior Jordan Neisler said.

Junior Anna Tukina understands the benefits of a late start, but still prefers the traditional snow day model.

“I think short days are a good idea, but they rely on them too much to try and avoid skipping a day,” Tukina said

When it comes down to it, the decision is based off of what would be the safest, but also the most productive choice for the district.