Superintendent's Office
January 1, 2026
We had the first significant snowfall of the 2025-2026 school year on Saturday, November 29th.
I was excited because it happened on a Saturday night. Plenty of time for our staff to get things cleaned up before school on Monday.
Our students were not as excited about the timing. They understood that there would be time to get the parking lots and the roads cleaned up as well.
On Wednesday afternoon, December 3rd, we had freezing rain. It didn't really start until after lunch but the freezing rain came down for a bit before it stopped. The roads become very icy. We canceled evening activities. Getting home after school would be slow. Getting back to school for an evening event would just compound the agony.
On Thursday, December 4th, I was up early to talk with Allison Clements, our Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations. Our driver, Kyle Forman, from the transportation department had been out driving our Rockford roads since 3:30 am. Ms. Clements and I discussed what he saw and evaluated whether we should close schools.
The roads were good so we did not close.
Michigan presents a unique set of challenges in the winter for schools. There is know and ice, and, at times, extreme cold. It is challenging at times trying to decide what to do.
In Kent County, the Superintendents in Northview, Comstock Park, Kenowa Hills, Sparta, Kent City, Cedar Springs, and Rockford engage in a text thread during the early morning winter hours when the weather turns bad. In addition to discussing the weather, we talk about what we are seeing on the roads in our district. In each district, we drive the roads to try and determine if our students and staff can get to school safely and if they can get home safely.
The goal is to make the best decision possible. Not only do we consider if cars can maneuver successfully, we also have to think about whether busses can make it as well. Typically, buses do not have a problem in snow, but if there is ice, they really struggle.
It is challenging.
There will be snow and ice and extreme cold in the winter. If we decided to close each time there was a little snow or ice we would never be going to school in the winter.
So we take time to evaluate.
But we can't take too much time in the morning because if we decide to have school, people need to get on the road a bit earlier to get to the bus garage or school on time. Or if we decide to cancel school, we need to do it before people are already traveling to school. Plus, not everyone who works in our district lives in our district. So, we have to think about travel in the region, not just in the 100 square miles of Rockford.
Winter weather can be pretty but if also brings challenges. Know that I try to make the best decision possible every time. There will be times when I get it right, and there will be times when I get it wrong.
The goal is to keep everyone-students and staff-safe throughout the winter.
Dr. Steve Matthews
Superintendent
