On Monday, April 4th, Westford was blanketed with a thin sheet on snow once again. This storm was rather unexpected for Westford residents, as temperatures hit nearly 80 degrees the previous week.

Although the snow amounts were not all that high compared to previous New England storms, the timing of it was perfect for school delays or possibly even cancellations.

Alas, student’s wishes were not granted and Westford Public Schools had a full day of school. This call by Superintendent Bill Olsen, however; appeared to be the right call.

For starters, the school day began with some light snow, along with an inch or two that had already accumulated. However, as the school morning progressed, the snow slowed way down, and even stopped for a period of time.

At about 11:00, the snow started to pick up once again and the once adorable April snowstorm began to look like a deep winter whiteout, with visibility greatly reduced.

After hours of speculation, students soon started to believe that they would indeed stay in school for the entire day. However, at around 12:45, teachers received an email from administration saying students would be dismissed from WA at 1:45 as opposed to the typical 1:55 dismissal time.

Although students were technically supposed to be dismissed at 1:45, seniors were allowed to leave five minutes early to clear the snow off of their cars. Before they left, they were strongly advised to drive home cautiously.

In the end, Olsen made the right call today by sending students to school for day. A two hour delay would not have done enough, as the snow didn’t even come down very hard until about 11:00.

Had Olsen called a snow day, it would have spurred mixed reactions from the town. There wasn’t enough snow early this morning, which is when superintendents generally make their decisions.

Although calling for a half day would have benefited WA and the middle schools, it would have done little to no good for the elementary schools. On a half day, WA would be dismissed at 11:00, but for schools such as Miller School, students would not be dismissed until 12:00. Therefore, transportation home could be risky based on the track of the storm.

All in all, the right call was made sending students to school, as well as sending them home a bit early. The Ghostwriter gives the superintendent an A for his decision.