Des Moines School District defends decision not to close

(Photo from Channel 13, WHO-TV)

(DES MOINES, Iowa)  The weather conditions this morning prompted many school districts to delay or cancel school.   

The Des Moines Public School District did not cancel or delay.

It wasn't easy for a few Des Moines bus drivers dealing with icy conditions at at least three locations.  

A bus slid into a ditch at 18th and Lincoln, with three students on board, there were no injuries.  Another busy had trouble getting up a hill on 22nd street, the driver backed-down the hill and got stuck.   There were kids on the bus, but no injuries.  A bus also got stuck at East 36th and Dubuque this morning.   There were no injuries.

Des Moines School District Spokesman Phil Roeder tells WHO Radio News when their staff lookedat road conditions at 4:30 this (Tuesday) morning, they determined the roads were in good shape.  He says obviously that changed.  He says had they known how the weather was going to change, they might have made a different decision.

He says because of the size of the district, they carefully weigh the decision to delay or cancel, because it impacts 30-thousand children, their parents, the district's employees, and thousands of employees in metro Des Moines who will need to make arrangements to care for their children during the day.   Roeder says regardless of the district's decision, they know that some will disagree.


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