At his office, Seidel sifts the vast amount of information from the state and county police, the state and county road commissions, the Weather Channel and AccuWeather, along with radio dispatches from the supervisors still on the road.
It's crunch time.
No later than 5:05 a.m. he calls Superintendent Jacqueline C. Haas with his recommendation.
Haas said she relies heavily on Seidel's report and the advice of the people on the road.
But she added: "I will argue with him [Seidel] about certain things. I may ask him for another weather update. I need to be absolutely certain."
She said the "livelier debate comes on mornings of iffy conditions," such as concern over black ice, a condition when wet roads freeze and become very dangerous.
"We always do what is safest for the kids," Haas said.
There is no disagreement on this point. "First and foremost," Seidel said, "is the safety of the kids. "If it's a 50/50 situation, we close. We will [err] on the side of safety. We can always make up a school day, but we can't make it up if a child is hurt."
Seidel added: "There are times when we may look bad. A storm may move in faster than anticipated or the runoff from snow doesn't freeze as we predicted."
There are also times, he said, when road conditions vary greatly from one section of the county to another. "Our decision is based on the worst section of the county. That's the reason why some people in the southern part of the county, which we call the Florida zone, wonder what's going on when school is called when their roads are clear."
Waiting for daylight
A two-hour delay is often called to avoid students being picked up on hazardous roads in the dark. "Buying time to daylight is critical," Seidel said. "Motorists can see the kids better, and the kids have better visibility."
Temperatures may rise slightly and the other traffic on the roads will help improve driving conditions.
While on the road, the supervisors are also checking to make certain that there is adequate space for a school bus to pass another vehicle.
Despite the early start of their workday, Beers said, "There is always somebody at the office until the last child is delivered back home. We leave when the last bus checks in."
