PARIS — When a powerful snowstorm such as this week’s blizzard dumps more than two feet of snow on Oxford County, School Administrative District 17 officials have a lot to consider.

Its school buses must cover 4,500 miles of roads to pick up students, some of whom live in remote areas in the district’s eight towns. Its 12 school buildings have to be operational, and dozens of  parking lots and sidewalks must be cleared to provide safe passage for the students and more than 600 staff members from Oxford County and beyond.

The job requires time and diligence, Assistant Superintendent Patrick Hartnett said.

With more than two feet of snow already on the ground Tuesday night and winds howling up to 40 miles per hour, the district made the decision at 6 p.m. to cancel school for a second day, Hartnett said.

“We canceled last night based on what we thought the conditions were,” Hartnett said on Wednesday morning. “We didn’t think we could get things cleared in time.”

Hartnett said he believes this is the third day school has been canceled this year, but school officials are not yet worrying about how that will affect the school calendar, which currently has the last day of school earmarked for June 15.

There are six snow days built into the calendar. If the district uses more than six, then school days are added to the end of the school year.

Students must have 175 days of instruction per year under state regulations, and teachers must work 180.

School is expected to be in session Thursday and adult education will be held Wednesday night.

ldixon@sunjournal.com

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