Here’s the explanation from Andy Muntz with Mukilteo School District.
A few people have called to ask questions about what happened this morning to cause the change from holding school two hours late to canceling classes.
As is our usual procedure, staff members were out on the roads in the early-morning hours to determine whether it was safe for our buses to travel, as well as for staff members and students to drive to school. While most main arterials were found to be in acceptable shape, many side roads were still quite icy. It was a difficult decision, but the initial call was to hold classes two hours late with the hope that the roads would have a chance to improve. We also decided to have our school buses operate on limited-transportation routes.
As our maintenance crews began to prepare the school buildings for the arrival of students, however, we realized that there was an additional hazard. Two of our workers slipped on ice-covered parking lots and outside walking areas and were injured. Consequently, because of the slip hazard and because it would have been impossible to de-ice all of the parking lots and sidewalks at all of our schools in such a short period of time, we realized the conditions simply were not safe for students. That’s why school was canceled for the day.
The safety of students is always our prime consideration, especially during an event like we have had the past two days. We apologize if the change this morning caused you any inconvenience.
February 7, 2017
Everett, Everett Schools