Students of Lafayette Parish public school had the day off today due to the threat of severe weather.

The decision to cancel classes was made yesterday.

Many parents are wondering how the school board decides to cancel classes for the entire school district.

Mona Bernard, the Director of Risk Management for the Lafayette Public School System, said one factor is whether or not it’s safe to put students on buses when there’s the possibility of flooding or slippery roads.

“If it’s dangerous to be on the roads we try to stop the buses from rolling and keep the kids safely home because we don’t want to see accidents,” Bernard told KLFY’s Kellie Brown.

Robert Giles, a parent, thinks school board officials sometimes jump the gun.

“You got to take the kids safety into consideration but at the same time, you can’t cry wolf all the time. This is the second time we’ve had school closures and there’s been nothing to come of it,” Giles said.

Giles believes canceling classes affects entire households.

“I’m fortunate that my kids are old enough to leave at home by themselves but I know other people that have small kids at home, they’re not working today and that could cost them a job,” he added.

Bernard explained once school officials hear of possible severe weather they consider a number of resources when making the call.

“We use several different weather sites to try and consult and they’re usually pretty consistent for us to get as much detail as we can get, about how we will be affected by the weather coming through this area,” Bernard explained.

She said it’s never an easy call:

“It’s a difficult decision because as you’re seeing right now it isn’t raining. But when you look at the radar and you talk to the meteorologists you know that it’s going to be raining heavily on and off for a couple of days and so you’re torn between should we keep them in school or should we keep them safely at home.”