It’s one of the hardest decisions a superintendent has to make.

With winter weather looming, and snow in the forecast, do you send children school, or play it safe, and delay their start time?

It's often a judgment call.

"If it's eight to twelve inches, it's very easy, but when it's sleet, ice and a few inches, it makes it difficult. The window to make a decision is about two hours," said Maine-Endwell Superintendent Jason Van Fossen.

In those two hours, superintendents are working with the DOT, police, and meteorologists to track road safety. This can get difficult when organizations like BOCES include thousands of students from several municipalities.

"We try to get the best outlook we can for what the roads look like, and as a BOCES, many students from our districts come here, so we want to make sure we're coordinated with what they're going to do and stay lock step with them," said Broome-Tioca Boces Superintendent Allen Buyck,.

In Broome County, buses are typically out, starting at 6 a.m.

"When you do finally have to make that decision, even though weather may change and it may look great at 10 A.M., we had to make that decision hours prior," said Van Fossen.

At Maine-Endwell, there are five days built into the academic calendar for potential closures, but Van Fossen says student safety will always come first.

"If we can delay and still have the students come in, we're going to delay and still have the students come in. If we have to close, we have to close, but at the end of the day, November is early, although it's happened," said Van Fossen.

If districts use additional snow days, vacation days may be cut.

For the latest information on weather in your area, visit the Spectrum News weather page.