The winter storm that will hit north-central Montana over the weekend has Great Falls schools officials, teams, and parents cautious about heading out on Montana’s roads.
“We have teams traveling to Missoula for a cross country meet, down to Bozeman for football, soccer over in Billings, and volleyball in Bozeman and Billings,” said GFPS superintendent Tom Moore. “That’s a big concern when we put kids and coaches on the road.”
Moore says the district has taken action ahead of classes Monday by monitoring conditions all week with emergency services and the National Weather Service.
He says schools will be open Monday, but bus routes may be affected. Drivers are asked to slow down around school zones and parking lots.
Moore also encourages students to bundle up for class Monday as maintenance crews do their best to get boilers up to speed.
“Paris Gibson Education Center maintenance department is working today (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday),” he said. “Because that boiler was completely replaced this summer as were some of the other boilers in our elementary schools like Sacajawea, Riverview and East Middle Schools.”
Moore asks parents to make sure students are dressed appropriately for the classroom and for any unexpected weather emergency. He noted, “Having to just tell them, ‘Hey put a coat on!', you never know if a bus breaks down or your car breaks down or you're stranded some place.”
Parents are encouraged to visit the GFPS district website for more emergency information related to winter weather.
WINTER WEATHER RESOURCES:
- STORMTracker Weather page
- STORMTracker on Facebook
- Montana webcams (MDT site)
- Road Conditions (MDT site)
- Road Conditions (MDT site)
