Old buildings prompt new snow policy in Salmon

Heavy snow will mean no school for Salmon students under the school district’s new policy.

The elementary and middle school buildings both have seen better days – Pioneer Elementary School is 54 years old, and the Salmon Middle School is 74. Neither building is up to code. The school district has tried to get money to fix the problem by holding bond elections, but all seven proposals were rejected by voters.

Superintendent Joey Foote told our Todd Kunz that effective Thursday, if at least 3.5 pounds of snow per square foot is on the buildings, all schools in the district will close down.

The district has two monitoring stations to check the snow weight and will check them frequently during snowstorms.

The district said that if possible, the decision to close school will be made before 6 a.m. on school days, and buses will not run the routes. Information on the closure will be announced via radio on KSRA and online on the school district’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/salmonschools) and website (www.salmonschools.com). In addition, an automated phone system will notify parents. If the snow on the roofs reaches critical levels during the day, the closure will be announced, and buses will transport students home.

Due to unsafe conditions, no one will be in school buildings during the closures.

More details can be found in the district’s official announcement of the policy at http://goo.gl/jwwlx.