Winter weather forecasts, questionable road conditions and, most importantly, the safety of students, cause superintendents in states like Ohio to take heat from their constituents when deciding to close school. 

At Cambridge, Superintendent Dan Coffman and Transportation Director Dan Daugherty assess the road conditions and attempt to make a go, no-go decision by 4:30 a.m. – the earliest time any of our bus drivers leave for the bus garage. 

“Weather forecasts are not always accurate, but we have found a couple of weather sources whose forecasts we trust,” Coffman said. “But the deciding factor is the condition of the roads on a few of our rural routes. If a bus can make it up the hill, we have school, if a bus would struggle, then we cancel school.” 

Unfortunately, the road conditions can change overnight, forcing the go, no-go decision to be made in the early morning hours. 

“As you are aware, the weather in Ohio can fluctuate by the minute,” Coffman said. “On Sunday night, for example, the snow did not start falling until approximately 10 p.m. We made the decision to wait until Monday morning to decide if we would have school. That is our normal procedure when there is uncertainty in what the weather might do.” 

While all students like to get the all-call message closing school and parents like to know as early as possible so they can make arrangements, it is the bus drivers who are often impacted the most. 

“Our bus drivers and transportation director do a great job of preparing the buses and making sure they are warm and safe so we can transport our students to school,” Coffman said. “Our maintenance crews do a fantastic job of clearing our parking lots and sidewalks and the city and township crews do a great job of making sure our roads are plowed and passable. 

“We try to share our decision by 4:30 a.m. as our first driver leaves home at approximately 4:50 a.m. to arrive on time at the bus garage to start their route,” Coffman explained. 

Cambridge Schools uses several formats to notify the district that school is closed. In addition to an all-call message from Coffman that includes a text message option, the decision is also shared via Facebook and X social media platforms and on the school district website at www.cambridgeschools.org. 

The announcement also is shared with AVC Communications to be included on their broadcasts and website.