Superintendent Amodio closes NCS again today, says safety first

Like most other area school officials, Superintendent Rob Amodio decided early yesterday morning to close NCS hours before snow began to fall at about 9:00 a.m. In advance of his decision to close the schools again today, Mr. Amodio told the Enquirer, "The whole issue is going to be the cold. My concern is for the safety of the kids walking to school in single-digit wind chills, walking on unshoveled sidewalks and getting soaked, walking on the streets…Whether we have three days or whether we have 10 days, the first thing you have to worry about, and the biggest thing you have to worry about is safety of the kids and the staff. That's paramount. You can't jeopardize the safety of kids and staff, worried about makeup days."

Currently, Ohio allows schools to miss five days of school for hazardous weather, disease, etc. without making them up, but that will change starting next year when calamity days are reduced to three in order to lengthen the school year. Mr. Amodio says that change won’t affect his decision to call off school.