Contact: Lisa Deffendall • First Posted: Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Children’s safety is our top priority in Fayette County Public Schools, so on snowy or icy days, a team of district employees drives the streets beginning at 2:30 a.m. to assess road conditions.

School leaders – in consultation with meteorologists, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Streets and Roads Division, and other officials – consider street safety, outdoor temperatures and the weather forecasts in order to decide by 5 a.m. whether to cancel or delay school. Sometimes, power outages and debris on streets also are factors.

When conditions are particularly severe, FCPS officials sometimes decide a day ahead, which allows families more time to make arrangements for their children's care.

• More details