Hide Transcript Show Transcript WEBVTT ALL STUDENTS IS TOP PRIORITY. KATELYN: OFFICIALS WITH THE PITTSBURGH PUBLIC SCHOOLS SAY THE TIMING OF THIS STORM WAS DIFFICULT. THESE ROADS BECAME COVERED IN SNOW AND DANGEROUS LATE, SO THAT’S WHAT LEAD TO THAT LAST-MINUTE CLOSURE. BUT FOR PARENTS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH KIDS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, THAT BECAME A CHALLENGE BECAUSE THIS IS NOW THREE DAYS WITH NO SCHOOL BECAUSE OF THE WEATHER. IT’S BEEN A HECTIC WEEK FOR JEANNE MCNAMARA. FRIDAY, NO DIFFERENT. HER NEHPEW JACOB, A STUDENT AT PIONEER, DELAYED BY THE WEATHER. >> A TWO HOUR DELAY, OK, WE CAN WORK WITH THAT. KATELYN: MCNAMARA SAID THAT CHANGED JUST BEFORE 8:00 WHEN SCHOOL CLOSED, SENDING HER SCRAMBLING. >> JACOB HAS NURSES THAT COME HERE SO I NEEDED TO GET AHOLD OF A NURSE. SO THEN I HAVE TO GET ON THE PHONE AND I HAVE TO TRY TO GET AHOLD OF THE COMPANY THAT THE NURSES WORK FOR TO SEE IF THEY CAN COME AND MY HUSBAND HAS TO GO TO WORK. I HAVE TO GO TO WORK AND IT JUST GETS KIND OF CHAOTIC PITTSBURGH PUBLIC SCHOOLS OFFICIALS SAID A TWO-HOUR DELAY WAS INITIALLY CALLED AT 5:30 BECAUSE OF SNOW COVERED AND SLICK ROADS. ABOUT AN HOUR LATER, THEY NOTICED ROAD CONDITIONS DETERIORATING. >> WE WERE CONCERNED THAT THE BUSSES WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE IT UP THE ROADS. THE FEEDBACK THAT WE WERE RECEIVING FROM BUS COMPANIES WAS NOT POSITIVE. THEY WERE HAVING A DRIVER SHORTAGE. KATELYN: PITTSBURGH PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS WERE OFF MONDAY AND TUESDAY, AS PART OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAYS THE REST OF THE WEEK BECAUSE OF , WEATHER. MCNAMARA SAID WHILE HER JOB ALLOWED HER TO WORK FROM HOME TODAY, JACOB, WHO IS WHEELCHAIR BOUND AND SUFFERS FROM SEIZURES, NEEDS HELP. AND FINDING THAT HELP, AT THE LAST MINUTE, BRINGS ON A TON OF ANXIETY AND STRESS. IN PITTSBURGH, K Advertisement Pittsburgh Public Schools closed Friday due to weather District also cancelled classes on Wednesday and Thursday Share Shares Copy Link Copy Pittsburgh Public Schools were closed because of snow Friday, making it five straight days without classes for students throughout the city.What started as a two-hour delay around 5:30 a.m. turned into a cancellation shortly before 8 a.m. (Tap the video above to see the school district's explanation. )"We were concerned that the buses would not be able to make it up the roads, the feedback that we were receiving from bus companies was not positive, they were having a driver shortage, so those were all factors that we considered when we finally decided to close," said Pam Capretta, chief operations officer for Pittsburgh Public Schools. Download the WTAE mobile app to get weather updates and school closing information on the go Students were off Monday and Tuesday for professional development days that had been previously scheduled.Classes were then canceled Wednesday and Thursday due to the extreme cold temperatures in Pittsburgh.Friday was originally scheduled as a half-day of classes. The previous two days of cancellations prompted school officials to change Friday to a full day of instruction, but the snow wiped out that plan and left parents scrambling for childcare. "2 hour delay - okay, fine, we can work with that," said parent Jeanne McNamara. "My husband and I can work with that part. (Then) out of the blue I see that school is closed. "Jeanne McNamara's nephew, Jacob, is a student at Pioneer. The sudden closure left her scrambling to find him care. "Jacob has nurses that come here so I needed to get a hold of a nurse," she said. "Then I have to get on the phone and I have to try to get a hold of the company that the nurses work for to see if they can come. My husband has to go to work. I have to go to work. It just gets kind of chaotic."<doc-sep>Follow KDKA-TV: Facebook | Twitter PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — As winter wears on in Western Pennsylvania, more school delays and closings are bound to happen. But where should parents turn when dealing with a last minute school delays or cancellations? What about child care? Experts say the first thing parents should do, is to make sure you know how your school alerts you if there is a delay or a closure. Click here for the most up to date school closings in the Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania area Be sure you know your school’s policies and procedures. For example, Pittsburgh Public Schools has an entire page on their website dedicated to school delays and cancellations. PPS says: The Director of Transportation confers with the weather bureau, the Chief Operations Officer and the District’s bus companies, including the Port Authority about weather forecasts, available energy for heating the buildings and area road conditions. The administrators report the findings to the Superintendent who makes the final decision to have a 2-hour delay or close schools. Two local moms have also created a special website because of their own frustrations and needs for flexible child care. Priya Amin and Jessica Strong started the free service called Flexable, at FlexableCare.com. Think of it like Airbnb, but for connecting parents and caregivers. Here’s how it works: Parents and caregivers go to the website and fill out a profile. Parents write their needs, and caregivers write their availability. Technology does the rest. “Based on the criteria, the system can match the parent with the caregiver and hopefully help them find the care they need,” Amin said. Right now, most of the caregivers on the site are smaller, in-home caregivers like Danielle Tharp. She runs Family Tree Daycare out of her home in Murrysville. Like many other in-home daycares and some nannies and sitters, she can watch kids on snow days or delays, holidays, at the last-minute and even when kids are sick and the parents can’t miss work. WATCH MORE ABOUT FLEXABLE HERE: Flexable will also provide Pittsburgh employees with free childcare thanks to a city contract with Flexable. No matter what, the experts say parents should have a child care back up plan just in case schools do close, or decide to close for several days at a time. Another option for parents during school closings, JCC Pittsburgh in Squirrel Hill or the South Hills. JCC Pittsburgh says they offer programming and care when schools are closed for snow or inclement weather. Check them out by clicking here. If you decide to take the day off to stay with your children, or you find yourself with your children due to a school cancellation, the experts have some ideas for you. Barron Whited, a professional school counselor, recently stopped by Pittsburgh Today Live with some ideas on making the most of snow days! CATCH UP ON SOME SLEEP Whited says it doesn’t have to be all day, but catching up on sleep will lead to a lot less meltdowns, because you’re going to be entertaining children all day long. FINISH HOMEWORK School delays or cancellations will allow students to catch up on projects or homework they may not have finished. “It doesn’t have to be the whole day, but it’s a good chance to get a head start on something,” says Whited. He also suggests study groups in your neighborhood. Students who may attend the same school could get together for a few hours to study and get some school work done. COMPLETING CHORES Getting chores done and out of the way early can mean more free time to play outside the rest of the day. “Get your chore done right away, and then it will mean more time with your family or friends.” PLAY GAMES Whited suggests playing games with your children, either indoor or outdoors. “Board games, arts and crafts will help you find out a lot about your child,” he says. ENJOY THE EXTRA TIME “This is the perfect opportunity for parents and kids, it’s all about making those memories,” Whited says. Our partners at Kidsburgh also have some great ideas for parents who are looking for something to do with their kids while school is closed. Check out their list of the best events happening this winter. And since the weather is expected to be so cold, there’s also a list of 16 great indoor play spaces in Pittsburgh.<doc-sep>Schools and other organizations continue to be closed due to the extreme cold that is affecting central Illinois. Here is a list of closings and cancellations for Thursday, Jan. 31. Schools * Springfield School District, closed Thursday * Athens, closed Thursday * Auburn, closed Thursday * Ball-Chatham, closed Thursday * Chester East Lincoln, closed Thursday * Edinburg, closed Thursday * Hartsburg-Emden, closed Thursday * Havana, closed Thursday * Greenview, closed Thursday * Jacksonville, closed Thursday * Jacksonville, Routt High School, closed Thursday * Lincoln Community High School, closed Thursday * Lincoln Elementary, closed Thursday * Morrisonville, closed Thursday * Mount Pulaski, closed Thursday * New Berlin, closed Thursday * Nokomis, closed Thursday * North Mac, closed Thursday * Palmyra-Northwestern, closed Thursday * Pana, closed Thursday * Panhandle, closed Thursday * Pawnee, closed Thursday * Pleasant Plains, closed Thursday * Petersburg PORTA, closed Thursday * Riverton, closed Thursday * Rochester, closed Thursday * Sacred Heart-Griffin, closed Thursday * Sangamon Valley, closed Thursday * South Fork-Kincaid, closed Thursday * Springfield Catholic grade schools, closed Thursday * Springfield Urban League Head Start, closed Thursday * Taylorville, closed Thursday * Tri-City, closed Thursday * Virginia, closed Thursday * Waverly, closed Thursday * Williamsville-Sherman, closed Thursday Other closings/cancellations<doc-sep>After snow squalls and promises of near-record low temperatures in Massachusetts, there have been a few dozen schools and districts announcing they will delay or cancel things on Thursday. And, uh, no wonder: Bay State temperatures are expected to drop into the single digits, and winds will make for apparent temperatures as low as negative-25 degrees. Yes, you read that right. Boston is looking at temperatures as low as negative-15 degrees and forecasters are saying Worcester will get down to negative-20. Read more on the Weather: Here's How Cold It Will Get Wednesday Night<doc-sep>
Public schools in Minneapolis and St. Paul will remain closed another day because of the dangerously cold temperatures. The two metro districts announced that classes are canceled Thursday for the fourth consecutive day. Several suburban districts soon followed suit. Minneapolis and St. Paul public schools closed Monday because of a snowstorm, then remained shut down Tuesday and Wednesday because of the extreme cold. Minneapolis Public Schools said in a statement that while the temperature at the end of school Thursday does not fall within the district’s guideline for closing of 35 degrees below zero, the day will start out well below that. Minneapolis public schools and district buildings will reopen Friday. In addition, the city of St. Paul announced that all library branches will close at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, and will resume normal hours on Thursday except for the West 7th library, which will be closed. All St. Paul Parks and Recreation centers will close at 8 p.m. Wednesday. Centers that normally open at 3 p.m. will open at 1 p.m. Thursday. A number of suburban east metro schools were also expecting to close on Thursday, including: Due to the dangerously cold temperatures predicted again for Thursday morning, South Washington County Schools will be closed on January 31. All daytime activities will be canceled. pic.twitter.com/By2S26XlwT — South Washington County Schools (@ISD833) January 30, 2019 With extremely cold temperatures anticipated again for tomorrow morning, school will be canceled for all students on Thursday, January 31. Adventure Club and daytime Community Education activities including Early Childhood and youth classes are canceled on Thursday… — Stillwater Schools (@Stillwater834) January 30, 2019 School will be canceled on Thursday, January 31 due to the dangerously cold temperatures that are forecast at the beginning of the school day. The cold weather also impacts our ability to have school buses safely prepared for students. More info: https://t.co/XHJ1b95lC3 pic.twitter.com/K7RnfgCLzP — School District #196 (@ISD196schools) January 30, 2019 Due to continuing extreme winter weather conditions, Anoka-Hennepin schools will be closed tomorrow, Thurs., Jan. 31, 2019. High school activities may continue after 2:30 p.m., await confirmation from an advisor or coach first, https://t.co/H1mUacfHmu, 763-506-1197 #AHSchools — Anoka-Hennepin (@AHSchools) January 30, 2019 Because of continued cold weather and concerns about transportation, there will be no school on Thursday, Jan. 31 for all students in Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191. Details: https://t.co/m4eWEeZcV3 — Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191 (@ISD191) January 30, 2019 District 622 will be closed on 1-31-19 due to the weather. There will be no Adventure Connection or Elementary Youth Enrichment. All high school sports and activities will continue as planned, but students should check with their coach or adviser. pic.twitter.com/N7jPgGPVPC — ISD 622 North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale (@isd622) January 30, 2019