There were no reported school closings in Monroe County today, despite the bitter cold temperatures.
But Jeff Crane, superintendent in the West Irondequoit school district, says he and his colleagues do pay great attention to the weather forecast when we start to hear about wind chills in the double digits.
"That gets our attention, and as you know from past years in previous conversations, the Monroe County Health Department has recommended to schools that they seriously consider closing schools in the cold weather when at minus 25 degree wind chill," Crane said.
Dr. Elizabeth Murray, pediatrician at UR Medicine, says children waiting at a bus stop for ten minutes should be safe if parents take the necessary precautions.
"As long as they're appropriately dressed. A lot of times, kids don't really like to wear the hats and scarves and zip up their coats, but they really need to do that. It's pretty unusual for a child who has an ability to go inside if needed to have a true injury from the cold if they're appropriately dressed."
Some parents may still choose to keep their kids home from school if they're worried about safety in the cold or snowy weather.
Chip Partner, spokesman for the Rochester school district, says that decision is something that superintendent Bolgen Vargas respects.
"And if they do stay home, he encourages them to read at home every day, so it's not a snow day, it's a reading at home day."
The National Weather Service says we could see wind chills as low as -20 this afternoon
