Tuesday, Jan. 05 2010 6:17PM

R-7 school district keeping an eye on bus routes, temperatures

Emily Jarrett, Journal Staff

Despite surrounding school districts canceling Tuesday’s classes because of freezing temperatures and possible hazardous road conditions, the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District decided to keep schools open, something superintendent David McGehee said was a complex decision.

“It was really a combination of all the factors coming together,” he said. “We knew temperatures were going to be very cold but our main concerns were the road conditions.”

On Monday, R-7 transportation director Linda Thompson said the district’s buses were ready to go for Tuesday’s first day back to school after the holiday break.

“The roads are still pretty snow covered, but our drivers are trained to perform in all kinds of weather,” she said. “They know how to handle the buses on snow packed roads.”

The R-7 district covers 117 square miles, Thompson said, and includes portions of Kansas City, Lake Lotawana, Lake Winnebago, Greenwood and parts of unincorporated Jackson County. Thompson said the road conditions are varied, with some roads still partially covered and others completely clean.

“Our main problem with snow seems to be in the neighborhoods,” she said. “Crews have been cleaning major roads for days and are just now getting into the smaller subdivisions, but we’re not seeing any areas that we won’t be able to get into to.”

Thompson added it’s actually easier for the buses to drive on snowy roads because there are four wheels in the rear.

“Like any weather situation, our drivers will be increasing their defensive driving skills,” she said. “We’re also going to slow down which may mean the buses may run a little late.”

McGehee said there were four additional buses ready to go if one of the main buses had a problem.

“We also had a couple of tow-trucks standing by to help out if any (buses) were caught in a sticky situation,” he added. “Thankfully, we didn’t have to utilize any of them but we want to be as absolutely prepared for any situation as we can be.”

McGehee said he was also in contact with surrounding school district superintendents Monday afternoon, to see how they were handling the possible cancellation.

“Most were waiting to hear back from the transportation directors, too,” he said. “We don’t like to be the Lone Ranger in this but we have to make the right decision for our own streets.”

As an added precaution, Thompson said each bus is now running on a mix of 70 percent diesel and 30 percent kerosene, a standard combination of fuel to keep filters from clogging.

“Diesel buses can be a problem if the temperatures get below freezing,” she said. “So we also put an additive in the fuel to help. (On Monday) the drivers were out and we started every bus, making sure it was ready to go.”

As of press time Tuesday, R-7 officials had made the announcement classes would be cancelled Jan. 6. “Our No.1 concern is the safety of the students. We won’t ever put them in jeopardy,” Thompson said.

To reach Journal reporter Emily Jarrett, call 816-282-7018 or e-mail ejarrett@lsjournal.com.