In the wee hours of the morning, long before kids bound out of bed to see if it is a snow day, Douglas County School District employees are determining if students can get to school safely.

The district follows specific criteria to decide if a delay or closure is necessary, said Susan Meek, acting director of communications for DCSD.

Closures are recommended if the National Weather Service indicates a blizzard warning, if a winter storm is forecasted to bring 5 inches or more of snow or if there is a blowing or drifting snow advisory.

Beyond just listening to the forecast, however, district officials are constantly out on the roads monitoring conditions to determine if a snow day should be called, Meek said.

During the snow storm last week that canceled school for three days in a row, members of the district's snow team were up at 3:30 a.m. to make the decision.

The snow team, made up of the communications director, superintendent, head of transportation, head of security and head of operations and maintenance, get on a conference call to talk about the latest conditions and forecasts, Meek said.

The decision to cancel school must be made by 4:30 a.m. in order for Meek to update the district Web site and notify the local media outlets in time for the 5 a.m. news.

Meek said sometimes it is a "tough call" when a heavy snow is predicted but not yet coming down, like last Wednesday morning, or when the snow has stopped but bus stops and sidewalks may not be cleared.

"If students can't safely get to school, that's a problem," she said.

Snow days are built into school calendars, but since schedules vary from school to school, the district will be evaluating if any adjustments are necessary to make up for the three snow days.

When winter weather strikes, school closure information is available at www.dcsdk12.org or by calling the Snow Hotline at 303-387-7669.

Erin Feese: 303-954-2953 or feesee@yourhub.com