Video: When do schools close for snow?

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SEATTLE - The forecast was so frightening it kept thousands of kids home from school Wednesday, but in reality the weather was nice enough for some kids to make an unscheduled field trip to see Santa at the mall.

It was rather frustrating for the grown-ups.

“We’re a little discouraged that there was no school,” said grandparent Diane Nelson.

“I just feel sorry for them because it's taking away their days in the summer,” said parent Jessie Nelson.

Hoping to head off scenes of stuck buses, Seattle's superintendent of schools cancelled classes today - but the snow never came.

Forecasters originally called for an early morning show, prompting Seattle officials to delay the start of school by two hours, but then the forecast changed with snow expected later in the day.

Rather than burden parents with a late drop-off and possibly an early pick-up, they cancelled school all together.

“We always want to make sure that we error on the side of caution in terms of taking into account not just what the current information is but what the forecasted information is,” said David Tucker of Seattle Public Schools.

But it isn't just snow that determines if schools are closed. Temperatures, sidewalk conditions, and how many bus drivers can make it to work are all factors.

In Kent, schools opened two hours late Wednesday because parts of the 72-square-mile district were too icy. 

Like most large districts, Kent can't simply close one or two schools in snowy areas because of bussing issues.

Conditions may be fine at the school but dangerous on neighborhood streets miles away.

“It is an imprecise science,” said Kent spokeswoman Becky Hanks.

School districts don't just depend on weather forecasters to tell them about conditions. Most send their own staffers out onto the roads to experience the conditions for themselves before making a decision on whether to close schools.