Update on this morning’s closure from Superintendent Evans

Dear Monticello CSD Community and Staff Members, 

This morning we closed our schools due to a significant number of our diesel buses gelling up as a result of the sub-zero weather.  This closure was because we did not have enough buses to carry out our runs; we also did not want buses to break down with children on them in sub-zero temperatures.  

 It was not until our buses began their initial runs shortly before 6:00 AM that our buses gelled up, at which time we called a two-hour delay.  By 7:45 AM, we still had inoperable buses and the likelihood of other buses gelling up while the temperatures remained at or below 0°F.  It was at this time that we elected to close school, using one of our emergency closure (or “snow”) days.   

Our transportation staff works hard to maintain our buses so that they can operate safely.    We are limited presently, however, as we await the completion and certificate of occupancy for our new transportation center.  Our buses are currently parked in a temporary location that does not have the electrical capacity to warm them overnight.  

We are reviewing our cold weather bus protocols, and we will make appropriate changes if we think they will minimize this risk in the future.  

We apologize for the late notice this morning, but we wanted to make every effort to try to keep our schools open for in-person instruction and still keep our students safe.