Carus Elementary, a Canby School District school located in rural Clackamas County east of Canby, was closed Thursday as a light snowstorm dusted the area.
Many residents awoke Thursday to slight accumulation, but heavier snow began to fall later in the morning. The National Weather Service had predicted a 20% chance of additional snow before 11 a.m. Thursday, which proved prescient.
District officials sent notification just before 8:30 that Carus would be starting two hours late and that buses would be on snow routes. The cancelation notice came a little over an hour later.
The communication was much later than normal, something officials acknowledged and explained was due to weather conditions changing as Student Transportation of America buses began picking up students, causing Canby and other area school districts to make late decisions.
“We recognize this may have been an inconvenience for some families,” district Communications Director Kristen Wohlers said in an email, “but we always err on the side of caution when it comes to the safety of our students.”
She thanked district parents and community members for their patience and wished them a safe day.
All Canby schools were on a two-hour delay Tuesday due to icy conditions, as temperatures the previous night had plunged into the mid to low 20s. That notice went out shortly after 6 a.m.
