As a blizzard swept in, Clark Elementary School students performed their Christmas program on Dec. 15, not knowing it would be their last day of school until 2017.

Due to snowfall, high winds and bitterly cold temperatures, school was canceled in Clark the next day (Friday). More snow days followed on Monday and Tuesday.

It’s rare for a local school to have one snow day, much less three.

“This is the first time I’ve ever had three snow days in a row in my 16 years as a superintendent,” said Kevin Mitchell, superintendent of Park County School District No. 1.

While classes were canceled in Clark and the Cody school district for three days, Powell schools remained open. Bus routes for Powell students in the Heart Mountain and Clark areas were canceled, due to weather conditions and drifting snow.

The storm hit Clark and other rural areas harder than Powell.

“They got more snow than we did, probably similar to what Cody did,” Mitchell said.

On Monday morning, wind gusts reached 108 mph in the Clark area. By comparison, the strongest gust recorded in Powell was 61 mph on Monday evening.

School district leaders consider a lot of factors when deciding whether to call a snow day, and “certainly student safety is No. 1,” Mitchell said.

“It seems like a simple thing to wake up in the morning and say, ‘We’re not going to have school,’” he said. “But it’s a lot more complicated than that. In fact, I would say it’s one of my most difficult decisions that I make as superintendent.”

Mitchell and Steve Janes, transportation supervisor for the school district, head out before dawn on snowy mornings to see road conditions firsthand.

“Steve starts driving the roads at 4 o’clock in the morning,” Mitchell said. “And he always heads to Heart Mountain first, because that’s where we have our problems.”

Mitchell leaves shortly after that, covering the northern and eastern parts of the county.

Mitchell made the decision by 6 a.m. or earlier each day. In addition to looking at road and weather reports, district leaders continued their conversations with the Wyoming Department of Transportation, Park County and other school superintendents in the area throughout the day.

“We started visiting Thursday morning, knowing that this storm was coming in,” Mitchell said.

Even after deciding to keep Powell schools open on Friday, Mitchell said they still discussed whether to close early.

“If they weren’t going to be able to plow in the afternoon, we were going to shut down school early,” Mitchell said. “But the problem there is notifying those parents of 1,800 students — ‘By the way, we’re sending your kids home in about 10 minutes.’”

The school district is a major player in the community, Mitchell said.

“If we decide to shut school down, that affects a lot of other people … because then everyone’s looking for childcare or they have to take a day off,” he said.

Sending bus students home early also is complicated.

“We have the rule that if they’re third-grade or under, they have to have somebody at home before we drop them off,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell said he spoke with several parents Friday who were upset about the decision to keep Powell schools open.

“Certainly, they all had valid points. It’s not like we’re debating,” he said.

Mitchell said the school district respects a parent’s right to come and get their children out of school, as several parents did on Friday.

Since the Powell district covers such a large area, conditions vary widely.

“We can say it’s OK here, but 5 miles away, we don’t know what somebody’s driveway or lane looks like,” Mitchell said. “One message that I would share is, if parents feel that it’s an unsafe situation for their students or them, just stay home and give us a call.”

Historically, it’s rare for Powell schools to have a snow day. Since Mitchell started in Powell in 2007, “I can’t remember ever closing the entire school district down,” he said.

Powell students in the Heart Mountain area whose bus routes were canceled will have their absences excused, Mitchell said; the same goes for Clark children who attend school in Powell.

However, because school was canceled at the Clark Elementary School, students there will have to make up two days; by state law, school must be in session for 175 days and the three cancellations put the Clark school on pace for 173.

Mitchell is working with Jason Hillman, principal of the Clark school, and staff to look at options.

“We’ll be making those decisions as soon as we get back from Christmas break,” Mitchell said.

For students in the Powell school district, the holiday vacation started Wednesday.

“I’m glad that at least this storm is over and everybody gets to take a break for a while,” Mitchell said.