Friday, Jan. 6: Buses to run, schools remain closed

School-crossing in snowfall, New Year’s Day, 2017

Latest snow update is that Ashland schools will be closed Friday, Jan. 6, with all school-related athletic and extracurricular activities canceled for tomorrow as well. RVTD plans to resume transit service during normal hours tomorrow, but the routes may be delayed due to winter road conditions.

According to its website, RVTD passengers should expect delays of 20 to 30 minutes. RVTD advises riders to check its website, www.rvtd.org, or call 541-779-2877 for up-to-date information.

To convey the impact of snow and ice on people’s ability to travel, “Local agencies are working overtime to clear more than 1,000 miles of roads in rural Jackson County and local cities.” That’s according to a story by Damian Mann, posted Wednesday by the Medford Mail Tribune. The U.S. National Weather Service Forecast Office in Medford, Oregon measured 8.3 inches of snowfall at the Medford airport from midnight Monday to midnight on Tuesday.

Facilities crews with Ashland School District spent hours working to clear snow and inspect buildings, according to this evening’s update.

“After hours of clearing snow from parking lots and walkways and inspecting buildings, our facilities are not ready to safely resume classes. We are so grateful for the continued hard work of our facilities crews to get our schools campuses functional. In addition, temperatures are forecasted to reach the teens overnight, which will cause hazardous driving conditions and the safety of our students and staff is our main concern. Thank you for your continued patience and cooperation.”

Ashland School District uses SchoolReach phone- or text-messaging to inform parents of closures and delays. Information is posted on the district website, with Alert-banners on every page. School-closure or delayed-start information is also broadcast on television: on channels 5, 10 and 12.