Monica Mula ’10
Web Opinions Editor

The spoon under the pillow, pajamas worn inside out.  The plans made for sleeping in and making snowmen should school be cancelled.

Students know that feeling of bliss when snow is in the forecast. The anticipation culminates at the 5 a.m. phone call from 1-341-SNO.

When Superintendent Elliott Landon’s voice resonates, the decision is final: delayed, cancelled, or regular start time.

What seems like a simple, three-option choice is actually a lengthy calculating process.

Knowing the night prior that snow is in the forecast, Landon arises promptly at 4 a.m. to evaluate the conditions.

“We rely on the Highway Department because it receives the same weather forecast that Westport does through AcuWeather,” Landon said. “They have the best knowledge about the conditions of the major highways and roads.”

It can often times be difficult to decipher between a delay versus a cancellation, however Landon knows that the decisions are as accurate as possible.

After deciding, a message is sent to those on the Home Access Center List. Both voice recordings and e-mails reveal the outcome.

“The salting and sanding begin immediately after any decision is reached to ensure safety of students and faculty,” Landon said.

Next, Dattco is notified. The bus company must respond to a wintry morning by attaching the chains to their tires for better traction on the roads.

Westport residents have varied opinions about what qualifies as suitable weather for making the trek to school. New drivers, especially, face many risks when driving in questionable weather.

Jessica Ramistella ’10 tends to feel uncomfortable driving on icy mornings, even after having driven last winter.

“I still get really nervous in the student parking lots when surrounded by other new drivers who don’t yet know how to handle the snow,” Ramistella said.

Ramistella recounts nerve-wracking moments feeling out of control and spinning out at stop signs. She feels mornings like these should have had delayed start times.

What can also be rattling is the struggle for buses to accelerate or trudge up hills. Many parents drive children themselves on wintry mornings, thus creating an increase in traffic.

Kevin Copeland ‘10, who takes the bus approximately three times a week, still chooses to ride the bus on winter mornings.

“There have been days already this year when it would have been beneficial to have a delay,” Copeland said. “When the roads are still icy, you can feel the bus wheels slide, which is disconcerting.”

Landon said that his first obligation is to the students— he strives to guarantee a safe commute for all.

Spanish teacher Claudia Cuevas de Taranto, however, feels that more emphasis should be placed on teacher commutes for safety reasons. She totaled her car after sliding completely down a hill trying to get to school on a morning with no delay.

 “The majority of teachers commute from locations more inland than Westport where the conditions tend to be worse,” Cuevas de Taranto said. “I really don’t feel there is any consideration toward teachers in these situations.”

 Guidance Counselor and Teacher Union Representative Christine Talerico noted that only 10 in 186 teachers and administrators live in Westport. This data shows that the majority of staff commutes from distant towns, only supporting the need for more frequent delays.

Casey DeVita, French teacher and girls varsity tennis coach, recently suffered a hard fall in the staff parking lot upon exiting her car.

She slipped on a patch of black ice, which she believes would have melted later on and would not have been dangerous had a delay been called.

“It took me an hour and thirty minutes to get to school that Monday,” said DeVita. “The stress and frenzy of arriving late is not a positive way to start the day.”

Landon does “recognize the teachers’ commutes,” however he stresses that the students are the main priority and the weather in Westport is all that he can account for.

The weather, with regards to the start time of school, will continue to be a controversial topic due to the unpredictability of snow and the dangerous conditions that result.

In the future, a decision will presumably be reached about how to handle the frequent accidents and falls due to icy morning commutes.

In the mean time, students will be dutifully putting those spoons in place.