After being graced with a snow day to begin their weekend, students at Westford Academy were happy to find their dream long weekend would continue as Superintendent Bill Olsen called off school for Monday, February 8th, 2016.

“It’s like a vacation before another vacation,” said excited sophomore Robbie Kreig.

Forecasts were spotty throughout the day before, as students and parents alike celebrated Super Bowl Sunday.  However, along with the majority of schools in the area, Westford closed in the very wee hours of the morning on Monday.

Although Westford had already closed, the snow didn’t begin until around 10:30 am and prompted some students to wonder why there was not a half day called rather than a full cancellation.

According to parents, the superintendent emailed families explaining why he didn’t call a half day, stating the nightmare that a half day poses on families with parents who both work, or with parents who are just generally busy throughout the day.

The snow continued to pile up during the day, causing the roads to be rather poor to drive on, and giving families a better understanding of why the decisions was made the way it was. Furthermore, MA governor Charlie Baker also stated via Twitter that the roads should not be travelled on unless completely needed, likely factoring into Olsen’s decision.

While it is understandable for this choice to be made based on the governor’s order and the power of the storm, there was no reason to make an early call for a snow day. This would have saved us from using a potentially unneeded snow day. Now, we are already two days into June with this late call for a snow day.

Therefore, the Ghostwriter gives the superintendent a B- for his choice, keeping in account the timing of the snow and the road conditions, but also how late the decision was made, tying Olsen’s hands when it came to choosing what course of action to take.