Champaign schools have always had to deal with snow, but if you ask administrators when was the last time they called off classes because of winter weather, the answer might surprise you. "It's very unusual," says Unit Four Assistant Superintendent Beth Sheppard. "This is my fifth year with the district and to my knowledge we have not closed a single day in five years." School officials say with this storm it really comes down to the timing. We're expecting a one-two-punch of winter weather. That's what made administrators decide to keep the districts' doors locked again tomorrow. " When you look at student safety we've always felt before that with the timing of the snow we could get the students to school and get them home safely," Sheppard says. This time the district didn't think that was possible. One big reason... transportation. School officials say with snow expected late tonight and then again tomorrow, there's no guarantee buses could get students home, even if they could get them into school. So unit four students will enjoy a four-day weekend because of snow for the first time in a long time. But it isn't just Unit 4. Urbana, Uni High and a number of other schools also called off classes for Tuesday because of the expected storms. Some of those decisions came down as early as three o'clock on Monday, hours before the first flurry found it's way to Champaign. That's why this decision shocked many parents. Some say they can't believe these schools in Champaign are jumping on the bad-weather bandwagon. But as the saying goes, better safe than sorry. Sheppard says that was Unit 4's motto on Monday. That district and many others taking it one day at a time, hoping the winter weather is over by Wednesday.
