PULASKI COUNTY, Va. – Pulaski County Schools Superintendent Dr. Kevin Siers said the snow impacted staff from getting to the school.
School leaders said the snow that melted turned into ice, which made it difficult for students to get to school; it’s the reason schools were closed for the week.
“Tuesday and Wednesday were easy to call Thursday. We thought we maybe could come in on a two-hour delay, but after consulting with VDOT, it was determined that it would be better not to put buses on the road,” Siers said.
School leaders said one reason schools closed for a week was that there wasn’t enough space for buses to turn around when picking up students. Another factor was ice, which created slippery conditions.
“We decided to err on the side of caution and decided to call it a virtual day,” Siers said
Staff with the Virginia Department of Transportation said crews have been working nonstop to clear the roads. The problem now is that there’s compacted ice.
VDOT said there has not been enough sun to help melt the ice on the roads in rural and mountain areas. Crews have placed salt on the roads in rural areas but the concern is once the ice melts, it will refreeze causing hazardous conditions.
VDOT said it will have to wait until gets warmer and the ice melts to plow the roads.
“We have to wait for mother nature to give you a little bit of help and warm up things before we see any melting on those neighborhood streets and secondary roads,” said Jason Bond with Salem VDOT.