INDIANAPOLIS -- Indianapolis Public Schools waited until almost 10 a.m. to close all schools on Wednesday, after issuing a last-minute call to delay nearly two hours earlier.
IPS issued a statement Wednesday afternoon to explain why the delays and closures were issued when they were.
In that statement, IPS blamed "unforecasted inclement weather" for the delay and said road conditions were unknown until their "first tier" buses were already on the road for the morning. The "first tier" routes are the ones for schools that have a start time before 8:15 a.m.
But, in his 11 p.m. forecast, RTV6 Chief Meteorologist Kevin Gregory did warn viewers of potential road issues due to the below freezing temperatures overnight. Gregory said "But one of the things that happens, sometimes this low-level moisture gets trapped and is very difficult to get rid of, so we'll watch for the developing slick spots."
After reports from drivers and other members of the school staff came in about the dangerous conditions, IPS says decided to delay all schools they hadn't already began servicing to give road crews time to treat the roads and make them safer.
That delay was issued at 8:15 a.m.
An hour and a half later, at 9:45 a.m., IPS spokesperson Carrie Cline Black said they did not believe road conditions would improve over the next several hours so they made the decision to change those delays into school closures.
"We have been closely monitoring road conditions and determined it is not safe to transport any more students to school today," Cline said in an early morning release.
You can read the full statement from Indianapolis Public Schools on their decisions below.
"As IPS transportation routes began this morning, buses encountered unforecasted inclement weather conditions creating untimely and dangerous circumstances. As we were starting our second tier school routes, staff received reports that road conditions were deteriorating and unsafe. At that time, a decision was made not to disrupt routes already in progress. However, due to the unexpected glaze of ice on roads, schools on our second and third transportation tiers were moved to a 2-hour delay.
After further monitoring road conditions, staff determined routes were still unsafe and were not expected to improve. As a result, a decision was made to close impacted schools for the day. We regret the inconvenience and confusion this has caused our families and employees as we worked to ensure the safety of all."
MORE WEATHER COVERAGE | Wednesday's slick roads: What the heck happened? | TRAFFIC MAP: Slick spots all over Indiana roads |LIST: Afterschool activities, church services canceled
