ELKINS — Randolph County Schools officials say they were pleased with the efficiency of three-hour delay schedules during the winter months.

RCS Director of Transportation Randy Long said there are a number of factors that are considered when determining whether or not to call a delay or cancel school.

“It’s not always only about how deep the snow is — it also depends on temperature. We try to look at 5 degrees above 0, as our line, and we also factor in the wind chill,” Long said.

He went on to say the county school system coordinates with the West Virginia Division of Highways to inquire about bus routes in the outlying areas of Randolph County. In addition, RCS transportation department employees, along with Long, begin checking roads starting at 3 a.m. on wintry days.

“Randolph County is so big that we can’t cover the whole county, so our maintenance director in the Coalton area helps us with that, and I call the drivers in the Pickens area or the DOH at the state road barn to determine their snow accumulation — Are the secondary roads plowed? Are the bus turnarounds cleaned out so we can turn? We do the same in Harman and Valley Head,” Long said.

Superintendent Gabriel “Gabe” Devono echoed Long’s statements, noting student safety is the highest priority when all decisions are being made.

“We do three-hour delays for the safety of the kids,” Devono said. “The first bus leaves the garage at 5 a.m. if we go at regular time — a two-hour delay makes that 7 a.m., so kids are on the side of the road waiting for buses in the dark, and people are going to work at that time. With a three-hour delay, the first bus leaves at 8 a.m. and there is daylight, and most people who are employed are already out, so there is less traffic on the road.”

Devono also noted the county attempts to have a decision made the evening prior to the cancellation to best accommodate parents and guardians.

“We always try to have a decision made by 4:30 a.m. at the latest,” Long added.

Devono noted calling for a three-hour delay gives maintenance staff extra time to clear sidewalks and parking areas on school grounds.

“Another big thing is this gives us an extra hour to clean the sidewalks and parking lots,” he said.

“(A three-hour delay) also allows DOH to have a little more time to clean these secondary roads,” Long added.

Aside from serving students lunch, Devono said there are no set requirements for the amount of hours students must attend school to be considered a full instructional day.

In the 2017-18 school year, Randolph County had four two-hour delays and six three-hour delays, according to Hilary Ramsey, director of technology and communication.

Devono noted other counties in the area are beginning to implement three-hour delays after seeing the success in Randolph County.