As usual, the winter season of the 2024-2025 school year brought with it some questionable weather. So far we’ve had two snow days, two flexible instructional days (FID), and one two-hour delay. The new superintendent of Bellefonte Area School District, Dr. Roy Rakszawski, is the head of management behind these weather calls. Although he has a detailed process, many students, teachers, or parents have had questions around the choices he has made this year. 

Dr. Roy’s main concern is always safety. If the weather conditions are supposed to be slippery then he will call a delay, and as long as the precipitation is over by 7:30 a.m., and not substantial he finds a delay to be enough. But, when the weather pushes on, he knows it’s time to close.

“Safety for all is the primary consideration for these decisions,” Dr. Roy said.

One of the big debates of the year has been FID versus snow days. Dr. Roy leans on the side of FID days over snow days.

“Before declaring a FID day, I ask my administrative team if there are any reasons why that wouldn’t work,” he said. 

He questions whether teachers have material prepared for online instruction, especially if it’s a block day when there is more information to be covered, as well as whether or not students have their Chromebooks or any technical issues such as the power outage after the storm on Sunday, March 23.

“If it is the kind of snow that would make for a really fun day of sledding and making snowmen, then I’d like to occasionally offer that to the students too,” Dr. Roy said. 

He wants to strike a balance between the two, so that we don’t add too many days to the end of the school year.

Of course, his final step is to consult his other administrative peers, but he also connects with the National Weather Service and other superintendents in the region to make sure his decision is safe.

“I collect as much relevant information that I can to make the best decision possible,” Dr. Roy said.

It is important he talks with other districts about their plans as Penns Valley and Bald Eagle Area CPI students schedules overlap with ours.

“Ultimately, I make the best decision for BASD,” he said.

Dr. Roy tries to get as much information out as soon as possible to help parents.

“I try to be cognizant of their challenges,” Dr. Roy said.

You can hope to see the final decision the night before, but will most likely not receive it until early in the morning, by around 5 a.m. At this time the National Weather Service will have made their call, and Dr. Roy will have called the other superintendents in the area at 4:50 a.m.

One last controversy Dr. Roy has faced is this year’s “emergency day.” Many teachers and students at Bellefonte have been upset that we no longer have school off on April 21 to make-up for our emergency closure on March 17 when Bellefonte had a mass power outage. They feel that we should push the extra day to another time, as many already have plans or that we don’t need to have make-up at all because they close as an “emergency.” Many even suggested just calling it a FID so people can work online during their trips.

“Technically, there is no such thing as an excused ‘emergency’ day,” Dr. Roy said. 

He explained how there are a certain number of days school must be in for according to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and that his only other two options other than April 21 were Memorial Day weekend or an extra day at the end of the school year, both most likely no more popular. According to a different policy, the PDE FID Requirements he is also not allowed to schedule a FID on the school calendar, as you can’t plan for bad weather to show up this early on.

With all of the about whether we should or shouldn’t have had school, Dr. Roy has had to ignore much backlash towards his decisions. 

“I’ve come to accept that not everyone will agree with me, but I am confident in my decisions,” Dr. Roy said. 

He remains that he must make the best decision for the “greater good,” while prioritizing safety and maintaining structure.

“I would rather be criticized for closing needlessly than for not,” Dr. Roy said.

Dr. Roy had to deal with making choices around bad weather at his old school as well. Starting at Bellefonte Area School District this year he brought all of his past experience with him. He is entrusted by our administration to continue making the smart choice for Bellefonte’s safety.