Source: parkshoredayschool.comSchools in Donegal Leitrim and Sligo were forced to close today due to snow and ice.
While it's nowhere near as cold in Ireland as it is in parts of the USA at the moment, schools in Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo and parts of Cork were forced to shut their doors due to the local conditions today.
And with temperatures set to plunge to between -2C and -4C overnight tonight, it's not ludicrous to think they may remain closed tomorrow.
But how cold exactly will it have to be for students to get another day off?
Well for schools it's not necessarily about how cold it is outside, it's more about the heating inside.
According to the Irish National Teachers Organisation, classrooms need to be heated to minimum of 16C by 10AM.
So no heating on a cold day means classes should not go ahead.
If this happens after school has already started students who go home for lunch should be told not to return while kids who can't return home should be supervised and sent home when it's safe to do so.
If the school can't guarantee heat the following day children should be told not to return until it's fixed.
Of course, that's not the only factor when it comes to school closures.
According to winterready.ie, which is the quoted guideline in the Education Department's Weather Document, these are the factors determine a principal's decision to close a room or not:
- Conditions in the school itself - Temperature inside.
- The capacity of the school to ensure the health and safety of students whilst in school.
- The ability of parents, students, staff and school transport services to safely negotiate local roads.
Most schools use a text messaging service to communicate with parents and staff.
But it's also advised that parents keep tuned into local radio, or monitor the school’s website or social media for updates.
