Superintendent Explains Late Call to Close Schools Wednesday

Greendale made a late call on closing Wednesday, with the decision coming just after 6:30 a.m.

The district's goal is to make the call by 6 a.m., Superintendent John Tharp said. At that time Wednesday, it appeared conditions were safe enough for students and teachers to come to school, he said.

However, the weather got worse after 6 a.m. and officials heard from staff members who live out of town and were having difficulty making it in, Tharp said. 

The district then decided to err on the caution, he said. Messages that school was canceled began going out to parents at 6:35 a.m.

"I apologize that I wasn't able to make the call at 6, but again, at 6, we believed the worst of it was over and that the conditions were safe to come to school," Tharp said.

The late call was the hardest on high school families, with a start time of 7:24 a.m., Tharp said.

He also noted many suburban districts started canceling school after Milwaukee Public Schools announced between 5:45 and 6 a.m. it was closing, but some, including Muskego and South Milwaukee, stayed open.